{"slug": "supreme-court-clears-way-for-trump-administration-to-revive-restrictive-policy", "title": "Supreme Court clears way for Trump administration to revive restrictive immigration policy", "summary": "The Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to revive an immigration policy that limits asylum applications at the U.S.-Mexico border, overturning a lower court order that had blocked the practice. The policy, known as metering, was used under the Obama and Trump administrations and created long wait times for migrants, but the administration argues it is a necessary tool to manage border crossings.", "body_md": "**Getting your**\n\n[Trinity Audio](//trinityaudio.ai)player ready...**By LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Associated Press**\n\nWASHINGTON — The Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for the Trump administration to potentially revive an immigration policy once used to turn back migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.\n\nThe justices overturned a lower court order blocking the practice that limited the number of people who could apply for asylum each day under the Obama administration and during President Donald Trump’s first term.\n\nAdvocates said the tactic created a humanitarian crisis as thousands of people settled in unsafe makeshift shelters to await their turn. The Trump administration said it was necessary to deal with an increase of asylum seekers at the border.\n\n[The policy](https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-asylum-mexico-trump-fd8a994df598731d1647c9df7f949959) isn’t in place now, though authorities have imposed other restrictions on asylum seekers.\n\nThe administration argues that metering is a critical tool that’s been used by presidents of both parties and should stay available. Federal attorneys say people turned away at the border could come back later, though lines were thousands of people long when the policy was in place before.\n\nThe case is one of several immigration suits is considering this term, including Trump’s push to end restrict birthright citizenship and his administration’s effort to strip legal temporary protections for migrants fleeing instability and armed conflict.\n\nUnder federal law, migrants who arrive in the U.S. must be able to apply for asylum and be screened for fear of persecution in their home countries.\n\nThe Justice Department argued that people stopped by authorities haven’t arrived, so immigration agents don’t have to let them apply.\n\nBut attorneys for people seeking asylum say the law has long meant anyone arriving at a port of entry should be screened, and blocking arrivals disregards the nation’s ideals.\n\nMetering was first used during President Barack Obama’s administration when large numbers of Haitians appeared at the main crossing to San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico. It was expanded to all border crossings from Mexico during Trump’s first term in the White House.\n\nIt ended in 2020 when the government introduced greater restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, and President Joe Biden formally rescinded it in 2021.\n\nThe same year, a California-based federal judge found that metering violated the asylum-seekers rights and the law requiring screening. A divided appeals court panel affirmed the ruling but nearly half of judges on the full San Francisco-based court voted to rehear it, a strong signal that might have caught the attention of the Supreme Court.\n\nU.S. law allows people seeking refuge to apply for asylum once they are on American soil, regardless of whether they came legally. To qualify for asylum, they must show a fear of persecution in their homeland for specific reasons, like race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.\n\nPeople who are eventually granted asylum can’t be deported. They can legally work, bring in immediate family, apply for legal residency and seek citizenship.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/supreme-court-clears-way-for-trump-administration-to-revive-restrictive-policy", "canonical_source": "https://www.mercurynews.com/2026/06/25/supreme-court-clears-way-for-trump-administration-to-revive-restrictive-immigration-policy-2/", "published_at": "2026-06-25 14:17:34+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-25 14:46:32.880156+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-policy"], "entities": ["Supreme Court", "Trump administration", "U.S.-Mexico border", "Obama administration", "Joe Biden", "Justice Department", "Associated Press", "San Francisco"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/supreme-court-clears-way-for-trump-administration-to-revive-restrictive-policy", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/supreme-court-clears-way-for-trump-administration-to-revive-restrictive-policy.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/supreme-court-clears-way-for-trump-administration-to-revive-restrictive-policy.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/supreme-court-clears-way-for-trump-administration-to-revive-restrictive-policy.jsonld"}}