Judy Chu

21/06/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 21/06/2024 19:55

Reps. Chu, Sánchez Denounce Supreme Court Decision in Department of State v. Muñoz

Plaintiff Sandra Muñoz lives in Los Angeles County

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, the Supreme Court ruledin a 6-3 decision in Department of State v. Muñozthat U.S. citizens do not have a constitutional liberty interest in their non-citizen spouses being admitted to the country. The plaintiff in the case, Sandra Muñoz, married her husband in 2013, and she and her son have been separated from him since 2015. Muñoz is a constituent of Rep. Linda Sánchez (CA-38) and previously was a constituent of Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), who sent a letter to the Department of State on Munoz's behalf in December 2015 requesting information as to why a consular officer barred her husband from returning to the U.S. from El Salvador. Reps. Sánchez and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, led an amicus briefto the Supreme Court ahead of oral arguments in this case in April 2023, which Rep. Chu joined. In response to today's decision, Reps. Chu and Sánchez released the following joint statement:

"We are extremely disappointed with this Supreme Court decision, which keeps Sandra's family separated while defying our nation's longstanding history of respecting the institution of marriage and encouraging family unity. The MAGA majority on the Court today decided the constitutional right to marry, live with a spouse, and raise a family means nothing if a bureaucrat decides to banish a non-citizen spouse from the U.S. Like with the Dobbs decision that overruled Roe, the MAGA majority today erodes Americans' freedoms to live as we choose and make decisions about our families. As Justice Sotomayor further elaborates in her dissent, the burden of today's decision will 'fall mostly heavily' on same-sex couples who, if forced to relocate to another nation to stay together, may face criminalization, violence, or even death.

"For almost a decade, we've fought for Sandra's right to make her family whole once again and will continue to do so not only for her family, but also for all the other American citizens similarly situated around the country. We will continue to work with affected families and advocates to determine all the consequences of this decision and fight for comprehensive, humane immigration reform that finally fixes our broken system."