Supreme Court to Decide Whether Trump Can Block Asylum Seekers at Mexico Border
The United States Supreme Court is taking up a high stakes case this week that could reshape how the government handles asylum seekers at the southern border, according to Reuter News Agency. The justices will hear arguments on Tuesday over former President Donald Trump’s authority to turn people away when border officials say crossings are too full to process new arrivals.
The case focuses on a policy known as “metering,” which allows U.S. officials to stop asylum seekers on the Mexican side of the border and delay or deny their entry for processing. First used during President Barack Obama’s term in 2016, the policy was made official in 2018 under Trump, who argued it was necessary to control migrant surges. President Joe Biden ended the practice in 2021.
Now, Trump’s administration, back in office, has appealed a lower court ruling that found metering illegal under federal law. The Court of Appeals ruled last year that border agents must inspect all asylum seekers who “arrive,” even if they are waiting just outside U.S. territory. The key legal question is whether migrants stopped in Mexico have legally “arrived” in the United States.
Trump’s lawyers argue they have not. “Someone stopped in Mexico has not entered U.S. soil,” they wrote in their filing, insisting the government should have the right to pause processing when overwhelmed. The challengers, led by the advocacy group Al Otro Lado, say the policy traps families in dangerous conditions and denies them the right to seek protection guaranteed by law.
A decision is expected by the end of June. The outcome could determine not only how the U.S. manages its southern border but also signal how far the Court is willing to go in supporting Trump’s broader immigration agenda.
The Court has recently upheld several of Trump’s immigration moves, including expanded deportations and the removal of temporary legal protections for thousands of Venezuelan migrants. In the coming weeks, justices will also hear cases covering birthright citizenship and temporary protection for Haitians and Syrians.
