On 25 June 2026, the US Supreme Court issued a decision stating that migrants must be physically present in the United States to request asylum, and that border officials could prevent migrants from entering the country. US law states that someone who is “physically present in the United States” or “arrives in the United States” can ask for asylum. But the court’s decision today found that a person standing in Mexico who requests asylum has not arrived, by “attempting, and failing, to set foot in this country.”
Since before the pandemic, everyone coming through this port here on the US/Mexican border in Douglas, Arizono/Agua Prieta, Sonora, must show ID before they are admitted on to US soil. That is true for pedestrian and automobile traffic alike. Then each person is processed by another agent. So what will implementation of this decision look like here? Right now, today, nothing will change because agents already turn away anyone attempting to enter the US at the first gate.
Since the summer of 2024, when President Biden shut down the border to most asylum seekers, the port here has accepted few requests. Before then, migrants could present themselves at the closed gate and ask to be considered for asylum, and port officials would admit them into the US; or they would be asked to wait and try again another day. Some people or families were admitted, and others were denied. Indeed, there are families who arrived in Agua Prieta just as the border closed, and they have been trapped here ever since. They cannot request asylum in the US, and it is too dangerous for them to go back home. With this new court decision, the doors are closed even tighter.
Pray for migrant people fleeing from danger. Give them courage to endure. Pray that they might find shelter and safety. Give thanks for everyone who supports migrants along their journey.
