On November 17, 2025, the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s request  to review a Ninth Circuit ruling that had found the U.S. government’s former “turnback” policy—also known as “metering”—to be unlawful. Under this policy, border officers physically blocked people from presenting themselves at ports of entry along the southern border to seek asylum, forcing them back into Mexico.

U.S. law is clear: When someone arrives at a port of entry and asks for asylum, the government must fairly consider their legal claims. The turnback policy openly violated that legal duty. Instead of allowing people to step onto U.S. soil and seek protection, border officers turned them away and forced them back to Mexico, leaving children, families, and adults stranded in dangerous conditions, often without shelter, safety, or basic necessities.

Over the past year, the Trump administration has enacted increasingly drastic restrictions on seeking asylum at the southern border, which have faced separate legal challenges. The turnback policy, however, has not been in effect since its formal rescission in November 2021. Even so, the Trump administration pushed for Supreme Court review of this defunct policy as part of its bid to close off every possible avenue to people seeking safety.