The United States Supreme Court is set to make a decision this Friday on whether to take up the case of a Salvadoran man who was denied entry into the country due in part to his tattoos.
Luis Acensio Cordero, 47, was an undocumented immigrant when he met American citizen Sandra Muñoz in 2008. The couple later married, and in 2013, Cordero applied for a green card for permanent residence based on his wife’s citizenship. However, during his final appointment at the US consulate, Cordero was asked to undress and had photos taken of his tattoos, including the Virgin of Guadalupe, theater masks, dice, and playing cards.
Following this appointment, Cordero received notification that his residency application had been rejected, citing his criminal history and tattoos as reasons for denial. This has left Cordero, who has not been able to enter the United States, living apart from his wife and daughter.
In 2017, Cordero filed a lawsuit in a district court in California and won a favorable ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which concluded that the federal government had violated Muñoz’s fundamental rights as a citizen by denying entry to her husband. However, the Biden administration has challenged this resolution, leading the case to be reviewed by the Supreme Court.
The outcome of the case could have significant repercussions for immigrants in similar situations, as it is rare for challenges to government visa refusals to be successful. If the Supreme Court declines to take on the case, the decision of the appeals court would prevail, potentially allowing Cordero to return to the United States.
The Supreme Court’s decision is eagerly awaited, with Cordero’s future and that of other immigrants in similar situations hanging in the balance.