A panel of three judges for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the federal government has the authority to deport foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally.
The court was considering a 2019 executive order filed in King County, Washington, by County Executive Dow Constantine. The order prevented the first Trump administration from using a local airport to deport migrants. The Trump administration sued and won the case, which prompted the county to appeal. This latest ruling upholds the original win..
The court ruled that local governments cannot “[interfere] with or [control] the operations of the Federal Government.”
This does not bode well for California Governor Gavin Newsom’s repeated promises to stop deportations in his state.
Meanwhile, authorities in Mexico dissolved two caravans of would-be illegal immigrants heading to the United States. According to reports, “migrant activists said this week that some were bused to cities in southern Mexico, and others were offered transit papers. Migrant rights activist Luis Garcia Villagran said the breaking-up of the two caravans appeared to be part of “an agreement between the president of Mexico and the president of the United States.”
This comes after President-elect Donald Trump threatened to levy a 25 percent tariff on imports from Mexico.