Supreme Court justices appear split on immigration programs

WASHINGTON — Conservative Supreme Court justices expressed sharp skepticism about President Obama’s immigration efforts Monday, leaving his actions to help millions of people who are in the country illegally in the hands of a seemingly divided court.

The justices appeared to split along ideological and partisan lines over a case that pits Republican governors and members of Congress against the Democratic administration.

The Obama administration is asking the justices to allow it to put in place two programs that could shield roughly 4 million people from deportation and make them eligible to work in the United States.

The new program for parents, known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans, and the expanded program for children could reach as many as 4 million people, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.

Republican candidates have pledged to roll back Obama’s actions, and Republican candidate Donald Trump has proposed deporting the roughly 11 million people who are living in the U.S. illegally.

Going into the hearing, Roberts appeared to be the likeliest of the court’s conservatives to side with Obama and the immigrants, based on Roberts’ view that legal standing — the right to sue in federal court — should be tightly restricted.