The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a challenge to the Trump administration’s effort to suspend access to asylum processing at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Court’s docket for Mullin v. Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, No. 26-239, records that the petition for review was granted on November 13, 2026. The case comes from a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which rejected the administration’s attempt to use presidential authority to broadly block people from applying for asylum.
The case concerns whether the executive branch can replace the asylum procedures established by Congress with a policy that denies covered migrants access to the application process. The administration has argued that it can refuse to process applications under the presidential proclamation. Immigrant-rights organizations and other challengers argue that federal law requires an opportunity to seek protection and that the policy exceeds presidential authority.
Friday’s action means the justices will hear the dispute. It does not decide whether the asylum restrictions are lawful. The Court’s docket lists the matter for the upcoming term; oral argument and a final decision will come later.
The case is significant because the outcome could define the limits of presidential power over asylum processing and affect how immigration officials handle people who say they fear persecution or other serious harm in their home countries.
Sources: U.S. Supreme Court docket, No. 26-239; Supreme Court order list, November 13, 2026; ACLU of the District of Columbia statement; Associated Press report.
