Court limits Trump's asylum crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border

Source: CBS News

Updated on: August 2, 2025 / 1:45 PM EDT


A panel of federal judges on Friday limited President Trump's effort to close the U.S. asylum system at the southern border, saying his administration can't unilaterally suspend laws that bar the U.S. from deporting migrants to places where they would face persecution or torture.

The ruling centers on a proclamation issued by Mr. Trump just hours after he returned to the White House in January, ordering the closure of the asylum system. U.S. border officials have relied on the order to summarily expel those entering the country illegally, without allowing them to request asylum. Mr. Trump justified the sweeping measure on the grounds that the country is facing an "invasion" of migrants.

The three-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit lifted its administrative pause on a July ruling from a federal judge who found Mr. Trump's proclamation defied U.S. laws that require the federal government to hear the claims of migrants who want to apply for humanitarian protection out of fear that they could be harmed if deported. That ruling by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss struck down the Trump administration's asylum ban and would've required officials to stop enforcing it on a legal class comprised of migrants who are or will be in the U.S.

While it lifted its stay on Moss' ruling, the D.C. Circuit panel also narrowed his order, limiting the class members eligible for relief to asylum-seekers already on American soil while Mr. Trump's decree is in effect. The appellate court also limited the scope of Moss' ruling, partially granting a request from the Trump administration.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/court-limits-trump-asylum-crackdown-us-mexico-border/