President Donald Trump’s attempt to ban immigrants from claiming asylum at the southern border was blocked in a federal court on Friday, June 20, 2025.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled 2–1 that Trump could not deport immigrants “under summary removal procedures of his own making” or suspend their rights to apply for asylum, even if they cross the border illegally.
The three-judge panel included Cornelia Pillard, an Obama appointee, and J. Michelle Childs, appointed by President Joe Biden, who ruled against Trump. Trump appointee Justin Walker dissented in favor of the administration. The panel upheld a ruling from U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in July 2024, who stated that Trump’s January 2025 executive order ending asylum claims for those who cross the U.S.-Mexico border violated federal law.
“Barring foreign individuals who are physically present in the United States from applying for asylum and, if they make the statutory showing that they are eligible, from being considered to receive it cannot be squared with the statute,” Childs wrote in her ruling.
Last year, Trump adviser Stephen Miller criticized the lower court’s similar conclusion, calling Judge Moss a “marxist judge” attempting to “circumvent the Supreme Court.” The case is expected to proceed to the Supreme Court next.
Asylum claims have declined under Trump’s administration, which has also fired immigration judges and pursued mass deportations despite repeated court defeats.
Related articles
Today in Supreme Court History: May 16, 1918
5/16/1918: The Sedition Act of 1918 is enacted. The Supreme Court upheld prosecutions brought under this law in Schenck, Debs, and Abrams. The post To...
The Democrats Just Laid Down Their Arms. Again.
Last week, I wrote about how the far right’s capture of governing institutions like the Supreme Court has put Democrats in the jackpot, forcing them t...
Trump Goes to China, Gets Nothing, Comes Back to Iran Crisis
Tim Miller talked to Nicolle Wallace on MS NOW to give his take on Trump’s embarrassing summit in China, where Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinp...
S. Ct. Denies Stay of Virginia Supreme Court's Redistricting Referendum Decision
Today's order is here; the application that was denied is here. The state's argument for a stay, which the Court rejected, begins thus: Days before Vi...
These Politicians Want To Tax the Rich. But Why Do They Seem To Despise Them?
Our politics have been analogized to Veep. A more apt comparison some days is that we are living in a cartoon. Every good cartoon needs a supervillain...
Andrew Weissmann: Is Trump Going To Raid Fort Knox Next?
If the IRS goes ahead and gives in to Donald Trump's demands for a MAGA slush fund, it would be outright theft of the public's money and corruption on...
MAGA is Reeling as Trump Welcomes Chinese Students to the U.S.
President Trump promised to bring 500,000 Chinese students to American universities and allow China to own U.S. farmland—leaving the MAGAverse enraged...
Trump Posts Price Chart Full of “Breathtaking” Lies
The Trump administration is hoping to trick Americans into thinking that prices are going down—while the actual numbers indicate the opposite. The U.S...