Supreme Court backs Trump border turnaways in asylum case
Why it matters: The 6-3 ruling could let the administration revive "metering," which let officers refuse to process claims at busy crossings.
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 25 that migrants stopped on the Mexican side of the border have not legally "arrived in" the United States, backing the Trump administration in a key asylum case. The decision overturns a 2024 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that had found federal law required agents to inspect asylum seekers at official crossings even if they had not yet crossed the line. The case was brought by advocacy group Al Otro Lado. The administration has indicated it may restore the border policy known as metering, formalized in 2018 during Trump’s first term and ended by Joe Biden in 2021, if border conditions warrant it.