Legal battle over when immigrants officially ‘arrive’ in U.S. reaches Supreme Court, potentially reshaping asylum processing at southern border.
—
TheSupremeCourtagreedtoreviewaneffortbytheTrumpadministrationtolimitasylumprocessingclaimsfromimmigrantsattheU.S.-MexicoborderinanorderissuedThursday.
ThekeyissueinthecaseNoemv.AlOtroLadoisoverwhatconstitutes“arrivalintheUnitedStates”withinthemeaningoffederalimmigrationlaw.Thelawprovidesthatanalienwho“arrives”mayapplyforasylumandmustbeinspectedbyanimmigrationofficer.
Thelegalquestion,however,isoverwhetheranimmigrant“arrives”tobegintheprocessfortheasylumclaimwhenmeetingimmigrationofficersontheU.S.sideoftheborderorwhilestillontheMexicanside.
TheTrumpadministrationappealedtotheSupremeCourtafterafederalappealscourtsaidsomeone“arrives”whentheypresentthemselvestoanimmigrationofficial“attheborder,”evenifthatmeetingoccursonMexicansoil.
SUPREMECOURTPREPARESTOCONFRONTMONUMENTALCASEOVERTRUMPEX
