US SC halts Obama's immigration plan
The US Supreme Court blocked President Barack Obama's bid to shield millions of migrants from deportation on Thursday and thrust the charged issue to the frontline of the battle to succeed him.
Justices in the under-strength court were split 4-4 over Obama's bid to change immigration policy by executive action, thus leaving lower court rulings blocking the effort in place.
Obama dubbed the ruling "heartbreaking for the millions of immigrants who made their lives here" but warned his opponents they will not be able to thwart their dreams for much longer.
"In November, Americans have to make a decision about what we care about and who we are," he declared, in a nod to the White House race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.
The court normally has nine members, but Justice Antonin Scalia died in February and the Senate has refused to vote on Obama's nominee, appeals court judge Merrick Garland, to replace him.
The deadlock leaves Obama's immigration policy in limbo, like the fate of four million undocumented immigrants who stood to be given US work permits under the politically controversial plan.
Frustrated by Congress's repeated failure to pass immigration reform, in November 2014, Obama issued a decree to allow migrants whose children are legally resident to apply for permits. This would have shielded the families from deportation while the politically-charged issue of their status is determined, but the governors of 26 Republican-led states challenged the order.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers pushing for tougher US gun control laws after the Orlando nightclub massacre ended a stunning 24-hour sit-in at Congress yesterday.
But they vowed to return with renewed vigor when the legislature comes back from a two-week recess on July 5, and said they had mustered much popular support for their cause in a country with an epidemic of gun violence.
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