Last week, the Supreme Court let the Trump administration resume deporting people to countries other than their own. The 6-3 order is temporary, and the justices will hear arguments on Dec. 9. My view is simple. Protecting citizens is government’s first job, voters hired this administration to do it, and Congress should write a fast, lawful process so judges don’t have to improvise one.

The stay pauses a February ruling by U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, largely upheld by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, that required written notice and a chance to object before removal to a third country. Nobody has decided whether the administration’s process is lawful. The administration says the policy has run for 15 months and has removed thousands of people.