Transcript:
Cary Johnston, Anchor: Well, for more analysis on this, we have with us Rosanna Berardi, who’s an immigration lawyer joining us live now from New York. Welcome to the program. President Trump has made clear his displeasure over this ruling. Is there any other legal avenue open to him to try and reverse this?
Rosanna Berardi, Esq.: Well, the Trump administration was very disappointed yesterday that the Supreme Court concluded that an executive order cannot change the U.S. Constitution. So, President Trump and his administration have limited options at this point. They can go back to the drawing board and try another executive order or they can try and round up Congress to fix this through legislation. I don’t think either are a good use of their time. And I think really this is part and parcel with the administration. They want to get the sound bite that America is closed to immigrants. They’re trying to change everything, but more often than not, they fail.
Cary Johnston, Anchor: This was an important ruling by six votes to three. So, three justices dissented. Does this give some kind of fuel to those who have tried to reinterpret the wording of the Constitution?
Rosanna Berardi, Esq.: Well, I mean, in a perfect world, it would have been decided, you know, 90, but it it wasn’t. And I mean the dissent opinions are really, you know, just another view of how the 14th amendment is written. And I don’t think it gives much fuel to the fire to to try and change this. Look, we have a U.S. constitution. It’s the rule of law in our country. And there is a procedure for amending it, but that procedure is not an executive order. And the president and the administration knew that. But they tried it out and the court took a very literal reading of the constitution which is the case most of the time and here we are. So we’ll have to see you know if anybody hops on the dissenting opinion train and see what they do with that.
Cary Johnston, Anchor: In your experience as an immigration lawyer I mean describe to us what this ruling means to people who for a long time now have felt very much in limbo.
Rosanna Berardi, Esq.: Yeah, this this ruling is instant peace of mind. So, let’s not forget we have a massive legal legal immigration system in the U.S. where millions of people are here following the rule of law, obtaining L1, H-1B, TN, E2 work permits. They’re here. They’re working lawfully. They’re contributing. They’re paying taxes. If those individuals have children, they were worried. “Will those children not be U.S. citizens?” So, I felt a collective sigh of relief amongst our clients, amongst all immigrants in the United States. And really, it’s a nod to people doing it correctly as well as those that do not follow the rule of law. But we have the U.S. Constitution to tell us how to handle these cases. And I’m just thrilled for people who were really losing sleep over this one.
Cary Johnston, Anchor: Rosanna Berardi, thank you very much indeed for joining us here on First Post.
Rosanna Berardi, Esq.: My pleasure.
Ready to have Berardi on your side?
Whether you’re a business looking to hire or a professional hoping to relocate, immigration law can be complicated. But you don’t have to do it alone. Put our experience to work for you.