Supreme Court upholds asylum metering and clears way to deport 350,000 TPS holders
A 6-3 conservative majority ruled migrants physically in Mexico cannot apply for US asylum; a second 6-3 ruling strips Temporary Protected Status from Haitian and Syrian nationals
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Summary
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 25 to uphold US asylum metering policy, holding in Mullin v. Al Otro Lado that migrants physically present in Mexico at a port of entry have no cognisable right to apply for asylum under US statute. Justice Alito wrote the majority; Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson dissented. In a companion ruling the same day, the Court upheld termination of Temporary Protected Status for approximately 350,000 Haitian nationals and 6,100 Syrian nationals, clearing the way for deportation proceedings. Both cases were decided 6-3 along ideological lines.
Why it matters
The two rulings together are the largest single-day contraction of US immigration protection in the modern era, removing both the port-of-entry asylum queue and TPS as lawful shields. The Trump administration gains a clear legal basis to deport a combined pool of roughly 356,000 people without further court injunctions.
What to watch
- Whether federal district courts issue any individual TPS stays pending appeal.
- Haiti and Syria's capacity to receive mass deportees given each country's political and security situation.
- Whether the rulings accelerate or stall ongoing US-Mexico border talks on third-country deportation logistics.