Supreme Court to review Trump asylum ban at the U.S.-Mexico border

The Story

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to consider President Donald Trump’s executive order that suspends asylum access at the southern border.

The Trump administration is asking the justices to overturn lower court decisions that found the asylum ban illegal.

Under federal law, people have the right to seek asylum if they fear persecution in their home countries, regardless of how they arrived in the U.S., while the executive branch decides whether asylum is granted.

The administration argues it can categorically deny asylum to people covered by the order and should not be required to accept applications meant to be rejected.

Federal attorneys also pointed to yearslong processing times, saying those delays previously contributed to a large influx of migrants at the southern border, with many released into the U.S. while waiting for decisions.

Immigration attorneys at the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Immigrant Justice Center said the executive order is an unlawful attempt to “eviscerate” legal protections meant to protect people fleeing danger.

They also argued border crossings had already been falling before Trump returned to office in 2025, and said the law does not allow the president to stop people from even applying for asylum.

The asylum ban, one of several immigration restrictions rolled out in 2025, has remained in place during the litigation.

The justices are expected to hear the case in the coming months and issue a decision by the end of June.

It was also described as the third major immigration case the Supreme Court will hear this term, alongside questions about whether people can be swiftly deported to countries other than their homelands and whether immigrants can be detained indefinitely during deportation proceedings.