US Supreme Court to hear challenge to Trump asylum ban

The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on President Donald Trump’s executive order that bans asylum applications at the US‑Mexico border.

The administration is seeking to overturn lower‑court rulings that declared the ban illegal. Federal law guarantees the right to seek asylum for those fearing persecution, regardless of how they enter the United States, while also allowing the executive branch to decide on individual asylum grants.

Trump’s officials argue that the order permits a categorical denial of asylum for migrants covered by the ban and that they should not be required to process applications destined for rejection. Federal attorneys contend that lengthy processing times previously contributed to a surge of migrants at the southern border, as many were released while awaiting decisions.

Immigration lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Immigrant Justice Center counter that border crossings were already declining before Trump took office and describe the order as an attempt to “eviscerate” legal protections for people fleeing danger.

The asylum ban, introduced after Trump returned to office in 2025, remains in effect while the litigation proceeds.

Source: The Guardian. Photo: Guohua Song / Pexels.