Supreme Court Rule 7-2 To Uphold Fast-Track Deportation of Rejected Asylum Seekers

The Supreme Court has ruled 7-2 (pdf here) that asylum seekers have no right to a hearing when their claim is denied; and their deportation is in accordance with the law.  This is a major win for the Department of Homeland Security, immigration and border controls.

TRIBUNE – The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that asylum seekers who are turned down by immigration officials do not have a right to make their case to a judge, a win for the Trump administration and its desire to quickly deport people who enter the United States illegally.

The ruling was 7 to 2, although the usual undercurrents of an ideological divide on the court were present. Two of the court’s liberals dissented, and the other two agreed only with the outcome in the specific case.

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, rejected a lower court’s ruling that the Constitution guarantees a “meaningful opportunity” for asylum seekers to make their case to a judge if they are turned down in an initial screening.

Alito said the system set up by Congress weeds out “patently meritless claims” and provides for quickly removing those making them. Most pass their initial screenings, he noted, but those who do not have no additional recourse. (read more)