Ahilan Arulanantham Profile picture
Mar 20, 2019 5 tweets 3 min read Read on X
Just finished #SCOTUS decision in #Preap. Most impt: it says _nothing_ re whether incarceration of these immigrants w/o bond hearings is constitutional. So we live to fight another day, just as in Jennings v. Rodriguez. We're already planning! @ACLU @ACLU_SoCal #not1more
A few more thoughts in the weeds: 1. As @WangCecillia (who brilliantly argued the case) @matt_cam & others have noted, the opinion departs dramatically from the plain meaning of the word "when," which it reads to mean "any time after" rather than, well, "when." slip. op at 12.
2. It also reads the critical "when ... released" language to not apply _at all_ to the whole clause immediately preceding it - subsection D - because if it did apply, the Court's reading would make no sense. Slip. op at 24.
3. Courts sometimes adopt such odd readings, but here it claims its reading is the _only plausible reading_ of the statute. Why make that claim? Bc if the statute were ambiguous, the Court would have to consider the massive constitutional problems w imprisoning people w/o bond.
4. So, as in Rodriguez, the Court again contorts itself to avoid deciding whether our Constitution permits people to be imprisoned for years without the basic right to ask a judge for release on bond. Thousands of people will lose their liberty while waiting for the answer.

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More from @ahilan_toolong

Oct 4, 2022
Must read!! Superb brief filed by @karahartlzer in CA9 anti-discrimination challenge to the criminal illegal reentry statute. Bottom line: there's no question it was enacted based on anti-Mexican racial animus. Sorry for long 🧵but there's A LOT here. 1/ bit.ly/3yexodc
Recall that 8 USC 1326 is the most prosecuted federal crime in the United States, FAR exceeding all others. bjs.ojp.gov/content/pub/pd…. My colleague @ingrideagly has written extensively on it, e.g. bit.ly/3RxVg2q. 2/
Recall also @klytlehernandez has uncovered the law's racist origins. TLDR: Eugenics was all the rage in the 1920’s, when Congressmen (yes, all men) testified that the law was needed to "protect American racial stock" from Mexican "mongrels," among other v racist args for it. 3/
Read 10 tweets
Aug 17, 2021
I’ve been trying to stay away from Twitter to focus on my SCOTUS briefing in Fazaga scotusblog.com/case-files/cas…, but the last few days have made that impossible. I'll say more about that case later. But for now a few thoughts on recent events… 1/
1. The Biden Admin’s failure to bring those who supported the US Govt in Afghanistan to this country is NOT bc it lacks legal authority. The parole statute (8 USC 1182(d)(5)(A)) clearly gives POTUS power to “parole” literally anyone into US. @IRAP @marikoinNY @adambcox 2/
But the admin doesn’t want to bring them because ... security concerns. This is ironic. As @IRAP’s Becca Heller said, if the Govt trusted them to protect US troops in Afghanistan, then why not trust them to come to Guam? 3/ washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/…
Read 11 tweets
May 24, 2021
There’s a lot missing from this nytimes.com/2021/05/22/us/… story on the decision to redesignate Haiti for TPS. Here’s some more context: @esullivannyt @TPS_Alliance @ReichlinMelnick @newman_chris @GuerlineMJozef @ErikaAndiola @eeerox @ACLU @ACLU_SoCal @davidcolker 1/
It says Trump tried to kill TPS as part of a “hard-line” effort to curb immigration. That line gets an A+ for white-washing! @nytimes plz state the facts about the former admin's motivations. They matter! Esp bc the Biden admin continues to keep some Trump policies in place. 2/
What are the facts about the Trump-era TPS terminations? Trump said, in a mtng _about TPS holders_, that he didn't want “people from shithole countries coming here,” and instead wanted more people from “countries like Norway.”nytimes.com/2018/01/11/us/… 3/
Read 8 tweets
Jan 27, 2021
Two impt points about today's TRO decision enjoining the moratorium. 1. It does NOT apply to the enforcement priorities; enjoins only "the 100-day pause on removals." DHS still must apply the new memo to detention, in court, etc. Keep pressing for compliance! #FreeThemAll 1/
2. The decision is plainly wrong. It holds DHS _must_ deport people ordered removed bc 1231a1A says "shall." But that is squarely contrary to J. Scalia's SCOTUS opinion in AADC, which reviews the history of deferred action and then holds ... @aclu @ACLUTx @ACLU_SoCal 2/
"the Executive has discretion to abandon the endeavor [of executing removal orders] ... for humanitarian reasons or simply for its own convenience." & quotes treatise: "To ameliorate a harsh and unjust outcome, the INS may ... decline to execute a final order of deportation." 3/
Read 4 tweets
Jan 21, 2021
Some thoughts on new #ICE priorities and moratorium memo. 1. The memo creates an interim system starting by 2/1/21 and running abt 100 days while DHS does full review. So folks will have time to critique this from both sides. This is just the start of building a new system. 1/
2. It has a refreshingly straightforward rationale: can’t deport everyone, have acute shortage of border resources, and there's a pandemic! So DHS must narrow its focus and guide agency personnel accordingly. Hard to imagine a non-frivolous challenge to that in court. 2/
3. The categories of priority individuals are narrower than any implemented in the last 20 years: a) Terrsm /espionage/other nat sec cases, b) recent arrivals (post-11/1/20), and c) people incarcerated AND convicted of ag fels AND and deemed public safety threat. 3/
Read 9 tweets
Sep 24, 2020
VICTORY at last!! CA9 responds to COVID outbreak at Adelanto by AFFIRMING the original preliminary injnctn. ICE must release enough jailed immigrants to ensure social distancing at Adelanto. A week too late but we'll take it. @ACLU @ACLU_SoCal #FreeThemAll cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/memo…
On reflection I feel compelled to add two other bits: 1. The Court figured out that the Govt began mass testing on 9/14, but didn’t mention the outbreak on 9/15 at argument to CA9. That surely didn’t help their cause. @ACLU #FreeThemAll
Also didn’t help that in response to our emergency motion, the Govt told CA9 they wanted until Friday to respond. During an active outbreak. @ACLU @ACLU_SoCal #FreeThemAll
Read 5 tweets

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