The US Supreme Court has sided with the Trump administration in an immigration case concerning the government's authority over green card holders.
The 6-3 decision centres around an immigration officer's 2012 decision to put green card holder Muk Choi Lau on immigration parole when he returned from a short trip abroad because he had been accused of a counterfeiting crime.
Lau argued that the officer had overstepped the officer's authority, and the decision wrongly allowed the Department of Homeland Security to swiftly begin deportation proceedings after he pleaded guilty to trademark counterfeiting.
Immigration battles loom
It comes as the top US court considers a series of immigration-related issues against the backdrop of President Trump's sweeping immigration clampdown, though this case started before Trump took office.
His administration argued that suspicion of a crime is enough to put a lawful permanent resident, also known as a green card holder, on immigration parole.
Federal attorneys urged the court to take an expansive view of executive authority over immigration.
The court is also considering cases over Trump's push to end birthright citizenship, potentially revive a restrictive asylum policy and end temporary legal protections for migrants fleeing war and natural disasters in their homelands.
