The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the Obama administration's appeal of lower court rulings in favor of immigrants who were seeking to avoid being deported.

The justices said Tuesday they would review two rulings by the federal appeals court in San Francisco that allowed immigrants accused of crimes to try to stop their deportations.

Both cases hinge on a provision of immigration law that allows people who have been in the United States legally for more than five years or illegally for more than seven years to seek leniency. The appeals court said immigrants who came as children could count their parents' years in the United States.

The Obama administration opposes that rule, saying it conflicts with its "high-priority efforts to remove criminal aliens."