{"id":2619100,"date":"2026-06-25T13:39:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T17:39:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-no-asylum-seekers-dont-arrive-in-america-when-theyre-in-mexico\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T13:40:43","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T17:40:43","slug":"scotus-no-asylum-seekers-dont-arrive-in-america-when-theyre-in-mexico","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/scotus-no-asylum-seekers-dont-arrive-in-america-when-theyre-in-mexico\/","title":{"rendered":"SCOTUS: No, Illegals Don&#8217;t &#8216;Arrive&#8217; In U.S. When They&#8217;re In Mexico"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fscotus-no-asylum-seekers-dont-arrive-in-america-when-theyre-in-mexico%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2619100&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of the Trump governance in a case concerning an immigration policy related to asylum seekers known as \u201cmetering.\u201d This policy involved U.S. officials turning away asylum applicants before they reached the border area. The case, Mullin v. Alt Otro Lado, challenged whether the phrase \u201carrives in the United States\u201d in immigration law applies to individuals stopped in Mexico, with the lower courts siding with the challengers who argued it does. <\/p>\n<p>justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, stated that an alien does not \u201carrive in the United States\u201d until they cross into U.S. territory, reversing the 9th Circuit\u2019s earlier decision. The dissenters, including Sonia Sotomayor, argued that the statutory context indicates any person seeking admission should be inspected and allowed to apply irrespective of whether they have crossed the border. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson concurred on the outcome but criticized the case\u2019s mootness and lack of factual clarity, while Justice Clarence Thomas highlighted potential issues with the lower court\u2019s ruling and its implications for executive authority. <\/p>\n<p>The decision restores the policy\u2019s legality and remands the case for further proceedings in line with the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:More_than_100_suspected_illegal_immigrants_apprehended_by_Rio_Grande_Valley_Agents_(26263642176).jpg\">U.S. Customs and Border Protection\/Wikimedia Commons<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/25\/scotus-no-asylum-seekers-dont-arrive-in-america-when-theyre-in-mexico\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=SCOTUS: No, Asylum Seekers Don\u2019t \u2018Arrive\u2019 In America When They\u2019re In Mexico&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/25\/scotus-no-asylum-seekers-dont-arrive-in-america-when-theyre-in-mexico\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=SCOTUS: No, Asylum Seekers Don\u2019t \u2018Arrive\u2019 In America When They\u2019re In Mexico&#038;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/25\/scotus-no-asylum-seekers-dont-arrive-in-america-when-theyre-in-mexico\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/25\/scotus-no-asylum-seekers-dont-arrive-in-america-when-theyre-in-mexico\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=SCOTUS: No, Asylum Seekers Don\u2019t \u2018Arrive\u2019 In America When They\u2019re In Mexico&#038;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/06\/25\/scotus-no-asylum-seekers-dont-arrive-in-america-when-theyre-in-mexico\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &#038; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>The U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration on Thursday in a dispute over an immigration policy critical to combating migrant surges at America\u2019s southern border. The decision was 6-3, with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson in the dissent.<\/p>\n<p>Known as <em>Mullin v. Alt Otro Lado<\/em>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/03\/25\/supreme-court-weighs-asylum-policy-critical-to-combatting-border-surges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">case<\/a> centers around a previously used border policy called \u201cmetering,\u201d which involves U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/here-are-the-biggest-outstanding-supreme-court-cases-to-keep-an-eye-out-for\/\" title=\"Here Are The Biggest Outstanding SCOTUS ...s To Look For\">immigration officials turning<\/a> away asylum seekers before they reach the U.S.-Mexico border. The left-wing Alt Otro Lado and a group of asylum seekers challenged the policy under the Immigration and Nationality Act, which authorizes an individual who \u201carrives in the United States\u201d to apply for asylum status and undergo examination by U.S. border officials.<\/p>\n<div id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-2702459976\" class=\"d-flex justify-content-center fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 fdrlst__b89e9-entity-placement\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-navy-fined-for-software-piracy\/\" title=\"U.S. Navy Fined for Software Piracy\">appellate court sided<\/a> with the challengers by ruling that \u201carrives in the United States\u201d applies to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >asylum seekers encountering border officials<\/a> on either side of the border \u2014 including those stopped in Mexico. <\/p>\n<p>Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito <a href=\"https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/opinions\/25pdf\/25-5_86qd.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruled<\/a> that an illegal alien does not, in fact, \u201carriv[e] <em>in<\/em> the United States\u201d \u201cwhen he or she is still <em>in<\/em> Mexico.\u201d The 9th Circuit\u2019s decision to the contrary, he wrote, \u201cis wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn ordinary speech, no one would say that a person \u2018arrives <em>in<\/em>\u2019 a place \u2014 for example, a house, a city, or a country \u2014 before the person enters that place,\u201d Alito wrote. \u201cThe context in which the phrase \u2018arrives in the United States\u2019 is used in the immigration statutes at issue here supports an ordinary-meaning reading. So does the presumption against extraterritoriality. We therefore reverse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Writing for the principal dissent, Sotomayor accused the majority of \u201cignor[ing] the statutory context and history, not to mention the longstanding position of the Executive Branch.\u201d Taken together, she argued, \u201cshow that any noncitizen arriving at our doorstep and seeking admission must be inspected and allowed to apply for asylum, regardless of whether her foot has crossed the threshold.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While agreeing with Sotomayor\u2019s opinion in full, Jackson authored a solo dissent arguing that SCOTUS never should have taken up the case to begin with. She claimed that it has \u201cpotential <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/moot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mootness<\/a> problems and [lacks] a factual record establishing how metering works in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In addition to joining Alito\u2019s opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas authored his own concurrence underscoring \u201ctwo further problems\u201d with the district court\u2019s ruling on the matter. He argued that the lower court \u201cappeared to effectively grant the classwide injunctive relief that Congress has prohibited in this context,\u201d and that the relief it provided \u201cmay well have unconstitutionally infringed on the President\u2019s inherent authority to exclude aliens from the country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The high court\u2019s decision reverses the 9th Circuit\u2019s ruling and remands the case back to the lower court for further proceedings consistent with the majority decision. <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He is a co-recipient of the 2025 Dao Prize for Excellence in Investigative Journalism. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics and RealClearHealth. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/asylum\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">asylum<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/asylum-seekers\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">asylum seekers<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/border-security\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">border security<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/border-surge\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Border Surge<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/immigration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Immigration<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/metering\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">metering<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/samuel-alito\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Samuel Alito<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/scotus\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">SCOTUS<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/southern-border\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Southern Border<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/supreme-court\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Supreme Court<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Trump Administration<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SCOTUS backs Trump on border asylum policy dispute<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2619101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Illegal-Aliens.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[43064,3813,32275,79577],"class_list":["post-2619100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-illegal-aliens","tag-immigration","tag-supreme-court","tag-u-s-mexico-border"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Illegal-Aliens.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2619100"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2619104,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2619100\/revisions\/2619104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2619101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2619100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2619100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2619100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}