Today, the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration's request to review a Ninth Circuit decision that declared unlawful the U.S. government’s prior turnback policy, which the government calls “metering.” Under this policy, border officers physically blocked people from seeking asylum at ports of entry along the southern border, turning them back to Mexico.
In response, attorneys for the asylum seekers and Al Otro Lado, the organization serving them, shared the following comment:
“The issue before the Court is whether noncitizens seeking safety at ports of entry along the U.S. southern border have a legal right to apply for asylum in the United States. As the Ninth Circuit correctly concluded, our immigration laws require the government to inspect and process people seeking asylum at ports of entry and allow them to pursue their legal claims in the United States. The government’s turnback policy was an illegal scheme to circumvent these requirements by physically blocking asylum seekers arriving at ports of entry and preventing them from crossing the border to seek protection. Vulnerable families, children, and adults fleeing persecution were stranded in perilous conditions where they faced violent assault, kidnapping, and death. We look forward to presenting our case to the Court.”
The American Immigration Council, the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS), the Center for Constitutional Rights, Democracy Forward, and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection serve as co-counsel.