Washington, April 23 (RHC)-- In a victory for the immigrant rights movement in the United States, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down a law requiring the mandatory deportation of lawful permanent residents who are convicted of some crimes, saying the law was unconstitutionally vague. 

Trump appointee Neil Gorsuch sided with the liberal justices, writing: “Vague laws invite arbitrary power.”  

The case centered on a Filipino man named James Garcia Dimaya, who had been a lawful permanent resident of the United States since 1992.  After being convicted of residential burglary, the Barack Obama administration sought to deport him for having committed an “aggravated felony” under the Immigration and Nationality Act. 

The new U.S. Supreme Court ruling will mean that lower-level offenses are less likely to trigger the automatic deportation of lawful permanent residents.