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Court makes it harder for some immigrants to avoid deportation; Nebraska resident part of case

Supreme Court Trump Policies
Posted at 9:45 AM, Mar 05, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-05 11:33:43-05

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has made it harder for longtime immigrants who have been convicted of a crime to avoid deportation.

Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the opinion Thursday for a 5-3 conservative majority that ruled against a Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. illegally and has lived in the country for 25 years.

Clemente Avelino Pereida had been charged in Nebraska with using a fraudulent Social Security card to get a job and was convicted under a state law against criminal impersonation.

Not all criminal convictions inevitably lead to deportation, but Gorsuch wrote for the court that Pereida failed to prove he was not convicted of a serious crime.

The three liberal justices dissented.

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