Appeals court says Trump’s asylum ban at the border is illegal, agreeing with lower court
Apr 24, 2026, 9:41 AM
President Donald Trump speaks during an event on health care affordability in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
WASHINGTON (AP) — An appeals court on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending asylum access, a key pillar of the Republican president’s plan to crack down on migration at the southern border of the U.S.
A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that immigration laws give people the right to apply for asylum at the border, and the president can’t circumvent that.
ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said in a statement that the appellate ruling is “essential for those fleeing danger who have been denied even a hearing to present asylum claims under the Trump administration’s unlawful and inhumane executive order.”
The opinion was written by Judge J. Michelle Childs, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden. Judge Justin Walker, a Trump nominee, wrote a partial dissent. Judge Cornelia Pillard, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, also heard the case.
