{"id":2617807,"date":"2026-06-23T12:50:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T16:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-upholds-border-officials-ability-to-parole-green-card-holders-who-committed-crimes\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T12:51:42","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T16:51:42","slug":"scotus-upholds-border-officials-ability-to-parole-green-card-holders-who-committed-crimes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-upholds-border-officials-ability-to-parole-green-card-holders-who-committed-crimes\/","title":{"rendered":"SCOTUS: Gov&#8217;t Can Parole &#8216;Criminal&#8217; Green Card Holders"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fscotus-upholds-border-officials-ability-to-parole-green-card-holders-who-committed-crimes%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2617807&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the authority of border officials to parole green card holders who have <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >committed crimes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-quietly-removes-law-that-prioritized-immigrants-who-were-less-likely-to-need-welfare\/\" title=\"Biden Administration Quietly Removes Law That Prioritized Immigrants Who Were Less Likely To Need Welfare\">involving moral turpitude<\/a><\/a>. The case, Blanche v. Lau, originated in 2012 when Muk Choi lau, a lawful permanent resident from China, was charged wiht trademark counterfeiting. lau was granted parole upon reentry into the U.S., allowing him to enter physically without formal admission, which he challenged after his subsequent conviction.<\/p>\n<p>Justice Clarence Thomas explained that the government had the right to treat Lau as inadmissible due to his prior crime, stating that the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) did not require clear evidence of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-amnesty-would-protect-domestic-abusers-republicans-say\/\" title=\"Dem Amnesty Would Protect Domestic Abusers, Republicans Say\">crime involving moral turpitude<\/a> before deeming someone an applicant for admission. The Court concluded the government could lawfully charge Lau with inadmissibility and parole him, remanding the case to consider whether his crime truly involved moral turpitude.<\/p>\n<p>Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented, with Jackson arguing that the majority&#8217;s interpretation disregards Congress\u2019s intent and the special status of lawful permanent residents, almost akin to citizenship, which should be protected under law. The decision emphasizes the government&#8217;s statutory right to parole individuals like Lau while raising questions about the limits of this authority under immigration law.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:A_U.S._Customs_and_Border_Protection_operations_related_to_international_travelers_and_luggage_arriving_at_Baltimore-Washington_International_Thurgood_Marshall_Airport_on_February_27,_2025_-_24.jpg\">Glenn Fawcett\/CBP Photography\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/23\/scotus-upholds-border-officials-ability-to-parole-green-card-holders-who-committed-crimes\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=SCOTUS Upholds Border Officials\u2019 Ability To Parole Green Card Holders Who \u2018Committed\u2019 Crimes&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/23\/scotus-upholds-border-officials-ability-to-parole-green-card-holders-who-committed-crimes\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=SCOTUS Upholds Border Officials\u2019 Ability To Parole Green Card Holders Who \u2018Committed\u2019 Crimes&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/23\/scotus-upholds-border-officials-ability-to-parole-green-card-holders-who-committed-crimes\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/23\/scotus-upholds-border-officials-ability-to-parole-green-card-holders-who-committed-crimes\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=SCOTUS Upholds Border Officials\u2019 Ability To Parole Green Card Holders Who \u2018Committed\u2019 Crimes&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/23\/scotus-upholds-border-officials-ability-to-parole-green-card-holders-who-committed-crimes\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The U.S. Supreme Court upheld border officials\u2019 ability to parole green card holders who have \u201ccommitted a crime involving moral turpitude\u201d on Tuesday. <\/p>\n<p>The matter at issue in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/23\/scotus-weighs-whether-us-has-to-readmit-green-card-holders-who-committed-crimes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Blanche v. Lau<\/a><\/em>  dates back to 2012 when Muk Choi Lau, a Chinese national and lawful permanent resident (LPR) in the United States, was charged with trademark counterfeiting. Lau was placed on parole upon reentry into the United States, a decision he challenged as unlawful under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) following his 2013 conviction. He essentially contended that officials weren\u2019t permitted to parole him since he hadn\u2019t been formally convicted at the time of reentry.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3217176041\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>As Justice Clarence Thomas explained for the 6-3 majority, Lau was paroled \u201cpending the resolution of his criminal case, meaning that he was allowed to physically enter the country without being formally admitted.\u201d It was following Lau\u2019s decision to plead guilty that the government \u201cinitiated removal proceedings and secured a removal order based on his conviction.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Thomas <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/25pdf\/25-429_h3ci.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> that \u201c[n]othing in the INA required the border officer to have clear and convincing evidence that Lau had committed a crime involving moral turpitude before deeming him an applicant for admission.\u201d Under the admissibility steps required by the INA, he added, \u201cLau was correctly charged with inadmissibility.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt step one, the Government properly regarded him as an alien seeking admission because he had committed a crime involving moral turpitude before attempting to reenter the country \u2026 So, at step two, he was inadmissible and therefore removable if he satisfied any statutory ground for inadmissibility, including that he had been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude,\u201d Thomas wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The court concluded that the government possessed the statutory right to charge Lau with inadmissibility and parole him. The justices remanded the case back to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals for \u201cfurther proceedings\u201d in light of its decision and to weigh Lau\u2019s arguments that his crime \u201cwas not one involving moral turpitude.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/04\/23\/scotus-weighs-whether-us-has-to-readmit-green-card-holders-who-committed-crimes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SCOTUS Weighs Whether US Has To Readmit Green Card Holders Who \u2018Committed\u2019 Crimes<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.<\/p>\n<p>Writing on behalf of her fellow Democrat appointees, Jackson argued that \u201cthe governing law\u2019s text, structure, and context show that the majority\u2019s view cannot possibly be what Congress intended.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving enshrined a returning LPR\u2019s already-admitted status, Congress could not have meant for the guarantees it was affording to be so cavalierly swept aside. By law, LPRs are as close to citizenship as one can get absent naturalization,\u201d Jackson wrote. \u201cToday, the majority ignores that crucial fact and empowers Government officials to act accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/blanche-v-lau\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Blanche v. Lau<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/crimes\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">crimes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/deportation\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Deportation<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/green-cards\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">green cards<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/immigration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Immigration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/immigration-law\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">immigration law<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawful-permanent-resident\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">lawful permanent resident<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/parolees\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">parolees<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/scotus\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SCOTUS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SCOTUS upholds parole rights for green card holders with certain crimes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2617808,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/CBP.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[33010,51929,3813,4747,32275],"class_list":["post-2617807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","tag-criminal-justice","tag-green-card","tag-immigration","tag-parole","tag-supreme-court"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/CBP.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2617807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2617807"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2617807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2617811,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2617807\/revisions\/2617811"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2617808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2617807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2617807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2617807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}