Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/22pdf/22-58_i425.pdf
Page Number: 49.0

Cite as:  599 U. S. ____ (2023) 

7 

ALITO, J., dissenting 

from criminal confinement who had both been “convicted of 
an  ‘aggravated  felony’ ”  and  were  “determined  to  pose  a 
threat to public safety.”  606 F. Supp. 3d 437, 454 (SD Tex.
2022) (internal quotation marks omitted); see §1101(a)(43)
(defining “aggravated felony”).  This prioritization was in-
consistent with the §1226(c) arrest mandate, which extends 
to all aliens convicted of any crime within a long list of stat-
utory categories.  606 F. Supp. 3d, at 454–455. 

In  February,  Immigrations  and  Customs  Enforcement 
(ICE), an arm of DHS, issued a second memorandum that
slightly modified the earlier priorities and stated that “ ‘pre-
approval’ ” would generally be required “for enforcement ac-
tions” against persons outside these priority groups.  Id., at 
455–456.  This memorandum was also inconsistent with the 
relevant statutes. 

After some litigation regarding these two memoranda, a
new DHS Secretary issued a Final Memorandum instruct-
ing that even aliens in priority groups need not necessarily 
be apprehended and removed.  App. 113–115.  Rather, the 
Final  Memorandum  directed  DHS  personnel  to  consider
non-statutory  “aggravating  and  mitigating  factors”  in  de-
ciding whether to detain an alien.  Id., at 114–115.  It fur-
ther stated that DHS “personnel should not rely on the fact 
of [a qualifying] conviction” when exercising “prosecutorial 
discretion.”  Id., at 115.  Thus, the Final Memorandum did 
not simply permit deviations from the statutory mandates; 
it flatly contradicted those mandates by stating that quali-
fying convictions were insufficient grounds for initiating ar-
rest, detention, and removal. 

C 

Texas and Louisiana challenged this Final Memorandum 
in  federal  court  under  the  Administrative  Procedure  Act 
(APA).  After a 2-day bench trial, the District Court found 
in favor of the States and made detailed findings of fact that
bear on the issue of standing.