US Supreme Court Clears Way for Trump to Revive Border Asylum Metering Policy

The US Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the Trump administration to potentially revive the controversial "metering" policy , which limits the number of migrants allowed to apply for asylum each day at the US-Mexico border .

The justices overturned a lower court ruling that had blocked the policy, which was first introduced during the Obama administration and later expanded under President Donald Trump's first term. The policy is not currently in effect, but the administration argued it remains an essential tool for managing surges in asylum seekers.

Immigrant rights advocates have long criticized the practice, saying it forced thousands of migrants to wait in unsafe makeshift camps along the border for extended periods, creating a humanitarian crisis. The administration, however, maintains that migrants turned away could return later to seek asylum.

The case centers on whether migrants stopped at ports of entry have legally "arrived" in the United States and are therefore entitled to seek asylum. The Justice Department argued that those turned away had not yet entered the country, while attorneys representing asylum seekers said federal law requires authorities to screen anyone presenting themselves at an official border crossing.

The policy was discontinued in 2020 after pandemic-era border restrictions were introduced and was formally rescinded by President Joe Biden in 2021. A federal judge in California later ruled that metering violated asylum laws and migrants' rights, a decision that had been upheld by an appeals court before the Supreme Court's latest intervention.

The case is among several major immigration disputes currently before the Supreme Court, including challenges involving birthright citizenship and temporary legal protections for migrants fleeing conflict and instability.