Green card holders at risk as feds seek deportation shortcut at SCOTUS

https://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/041726_scotus_lawful_deportations/green-card-holders-risk-as-feds-seek-deportation-shortcut-scotus/


The high court’s review of a Chinese national’s removal proceedings could have ripple effect for the rights of permanent legal residents across the U.S.


Lawful permanent residents aren’t considered to be seeking admission into the United States for the purposes of immigration laws when returning from travel abroad. Therefore, they are not typically paroled into the United States unless they meet a limited set of exceptions.

The Supreme Court will focus on the exception for individuals who commit a crime involving “moral turpitude.”

The government wants to remove Muk Choi Lau — who has been a lawful permanent resident since 2007 — under inadmissibility proceedings. While facing pending charges for trademark counterfeiting in 2012, Lau traveled to his home country of China for a short visit. Lau pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation after returning to the U.S.

Even though he hadn’t yet been convicted at the time, the government says Lau’s reentry into the U.S. exempted him from the privileges of his legal status. According to the government, Lau was paroled into the country for deferred inspection after traveling to China, allowing officials to initiate removal proceedings following his conviction.