The US Supreme Court agreed on Friday, 13 November 2026, to decide whether President Donald Trump’s restrictions on asylum at the US-Mexico border are lawful, taking up the administration’s appeal of a lower-court ruling that found the president had exceeded his authority.
The court is expected to hear arguments in the coming months and to rule by the end of June 2027.
Mr Trump announced the restrictions just hours into his second term on 20 January 2025, describing the arrival of migrants as an “invasion”. Under the policy, migrants caught crossing the southern border illegally are barred from seeking asylum. It also applies to migrants arriving at official border crossings who lack certain medical or criminal history information. The proclamation said the policy would remain in effect until the president determines that the “invasion at the southern border” has ended.
Immigrant rights groups brought a class-action challenge. A federal judge in Washington, DC, ruled in their favour in July 2025, and the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit upheld that ruling in April 2026, while largely blocking it from taking effect so the administration could appeal. The case is Mullin v. Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES). The ban remains in force while the case proceeds.
The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority and has been largely deferential to Mr Trump on immigration during his second term. In June, it backed the government’s authority to turn away asylum seekers when border crossings are too overburdened. In September, it allowed the administration to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own, with arguments on that policy due on 9 December.
Source: Reuters
