US Supreme Court to review Trump’s asylum ban

The US Supreme Court has agreed to consider President Donald Trump’s order barring asylum applications at the country’s southern border, taking up a legal dispute over the administration’s authority to restrict access to the asylum system.

The Trump administration is seeking to overturn lower court rulings that found the order unlawful.

Federal law allows people to apply for asylum if they fear persecution in their home countries, regardless of how they entered the United States.

The administration argues that the executive branch has the authority to deny asylum categorically to migrants covered by the order and should not be required to accept applications it intends to reject.

Government lawyers say lengthy processing times previously contributed to a large influx of migrants at the southern border, with many being released into the country while awaiting decisions.

However, immigration lawyers representing the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Immigrant Justice Center argue that border crossings had already been declining before Trump took office.

They say the executive order undermines legal protections for people fleeing danger in their home countries.

The lawyers also argue that although the executive branch decides whether to grant asylum, those decisions must be made on an individual basis. They maintain that the law does not allow the president to prevent people from applying in the first place.

Asylum allows people who qualify to live and work legally in the United States.

The ban was among a series of immigration restrictions introduced by Trump after returning to office in 2025. It has remained in effect while the legal challenge proceeds.

sks