U.S. Appeals Court Rules Trump’s Border Asylum Ban Is Illegal
A U.S. federal appeals court ruled on April 24 that the president lacks the authority to unilaterally suspend border asylum applications, declaring that the Trump administration’s border asylum ban — issued on Inauguration Day 2025 — violates the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
The court opinion concluded that while Congress has authorized the president to suspend entry of specific categories of people through executive proclamation, this power does not allow the president to remove plaintiffs under “procedures of his own making” or to suspend their statutory right to seek asylum. The panel found that the INA’s text, structure, and history make clear that Congress did not intend to grant the Executive such expansive authority to bypass established asylum procedures.
The ruling traces back to an executive order signed by Trump on January 20, 2025, his first day in office, in which he declared that the situation at the southern border constituted an “invasion” and accordingly “suspended” asylum applications at the border. The policy has since faced a series of legal challenges.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responded on Fox News, saying she had not seen the full ruling but called it “unsurprising,” blaming “politically-motivated judges.”
The administration can ask the full appeals court to reconsider the ruling or take the case to the Supreme Court. The order does not formally take effect until after the court considers any request to reconsider.
Source: NPR - Appeals court rules that Trump’s asylum ban at the border is illegal