Liberal Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan denies appeal from Mexican family seeking asylum from cartel violence

A family claiming to face violence from a drug cartel will likely be deported to Mexico after Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan denied their request for an emergency appeal to block the deportation proceeding.

The liberal justice denied the request for an appeal to the ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and did not refer the case to the broader court. She made no comment in the ruling.

When they sought asylum, an immigration judge denied the claim, and the ruling was later upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The family claimed in their filing that they were the “targets of cartel violence due to their family ties and refusal to comply with extortion demands.”

The family members seeking asylum were identified as Fabian Lagunas Espinoza, Maria Angelica Flores Ulloa, Fabian Lagunas Flores, and Mateo Lagunas Flores. They were seeking an emergency appeal to block deportation proceedings in order that their asylum claim might be properly considered.

The family said in the filing that they fled from the violence in Mexico in Aug. 2021 after “armed cartel members threatened the family at gunpoint, demanding they vacate their home within 24 hours or be killed.”

When they sought asylum, an immigration judge denied the claim, and the ruling was later upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

President Donald Trump promised to mount the largest mass deportation effort in U.S. history during the 2024 presidential campaign, but red tape and procedural roadblocks have kept the number of deportations lower than officials would prefer.

The family was scheduled to meet with immigration officials on Thursday, and Newsweek reported that what transpired at the meeting is unknown.

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