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On Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration in a case that weakens protections for permanent residents, in the latest attack on legal immigration to the United States.

In a 6-3 decision, the Court gave the government more flexibility to make permanent residents who have been accused of a crime vulnerable for detention and removal when reentering the U.S. The decision states that border officers can treat permanent residents as “applicants for admission” rather than already admitted to the country, even without “clear and convincing evidence” that they have committed a crime. This means that they could be refused entry or detained without first being proved guilty.

The case centered on a lawful permanent resident, Muk Choi Lau, who was placed on immigration parole after returning from a short trip to China because he had been accused of a counterfeiting crime. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that border officials did not have to establish evidence that Lau had committed a crime to place him on immigration parole.

The decision was approved by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Samuel Alito – the conservative majority of........

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