Supreme Court rejects Trump plea to enforce asylum ban

Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is pictured on Sept. 27, 2018 in Washington. The court ruled against the Trump administration Friday on enforcing a ban on asylum for any immigrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
Zach Gibson | Getty Images

The Supreme Court won't let the Trump administration begin enforcing a ban on asylum for any immigrants who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

New Justice Brett Kavanaugh and three other conservative justices sided with the administration.

The court's order Friday leaves in place lower court rulings that blocked President Donald Trump's proclamation in November automatically denying asylum to people who enter the country from Mexico without going through official border crossings.

Trump said he was acting in response to caravans of migrants making their way to the border.

The administration had also complained that the nationwide order preventing the policy from taking effect was too broad.

But Chief Justice John Roberts and the court's four more liberal justices rejected the administration's suggestion for narrowing it.