A surprising Supreme Court ruling saw Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Neil Gorsuch side with the Court’s liberal wing, siding with an immigrant challenging a strict interpretation of a deportation deadline. The narrow 5-4 decision reveals fractures in the Court just ahead of major immigration cases.
Key Facts: Supreme Court Ruling on Immigration Deadline
- The case, Monsalvo Velazquez v. Bondi, concerned a 60-day “voluntary departure” deadline for immigrants.
- The Court ruled that if the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, it extends to the next business day.
- Justices Roberts and Gorsuch joined the liberal bloc in a 5-4 decision.
- Gorsuch cited long-standing administrative interpretation dating back to the 1950s.
- Dissenters Alito, Thomas, Barrett, and Kavanaugh argued the Court lacked jurisdiction or misread the statute.
The Rest of the Story: What the Supreme Court Decided
The Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision reversed lower court rulings against a Colorado immigrant, Monsalvo Velázquez, who missed a voluntary departure deadline that landed on a weekend.
The majority found that such deadlines should be extended to the next business day, in line with past administrative practice.
Writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch referenced a historical approach dating back to the 1950s, stating that Congress intended such deadlines to exclude weekends and holidays.
He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and liberal Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson.
Their decision directly overturned a ruling by the 10th Circuit and the Board of Immigration Appeals.
The dissenting justices viewed the case differently.
Justice Alito, in particular, said the 60-day deadline was clear and should include weekends.
He warned against making exceptions based on sympathy, arguing that deadlines need consistent enforcement to maintain legal clarity.
He’s right.
SCOTUS must course correct. pic.twitter.com/CjF8VdJvSr
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 21, 2025
Commentary: Signs of a Judicial Realignment Favoring the Left
This Supreme Court ruling is more than a technicality—it’s a signal.
Roberts and Gorsuch, once seen as reliable constitutionalists, are now siding with the left even on immigration, where the stakes couldn’t be higher.
It raises serious concerns about whether the judicial branch is slipping into ideological activism.
The justices had no problem ignoring the crisis at the southern border under President Biden.
Yet now, with Trump’s immigration reforms looming, they appear ready to block them at every turn—on procedural grounds no less.
What message does it send when a self-inflicted bureaucratic delay is treated with more care than the suffering of border towns overrun by illegal crossings?
These rulings come across as increasingly political, dressed up in legalese.
Gorsuch’s appeals to administrative tradition ring hollow when American communities are under strain and the law’s original intent is clear.
If Trump is re-elected, he should consider issuing an executive order inviting migrants to take up residence, rent-free, in the homes of justices who rule against deportation measures.
After all, if they feel so strongly about protecting illegal immigrants from consequences, let them share in the results personally.
The public is losing trust in institutions.
The judiciary was supposed to be the last bulwark of constitutional order.
Instead, we now face a constitutional crisis—not led by the executive or legislative branches, but by a Court that has lost its way.
The Bottom Line: Why This Supreme Court Ruling Matters for Immigration
The Supreme Court’s narrow ruling may seem procedural, but it sets a broader tone for how the Court could approach upcoming immigration cases.
With Roberts and Gorsuch now aligning with the left, the Court’s direction is uncertain.
For those hoping to restore order at the border, the biggest obstacle may no longer be Congress—but the Court itself.
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