Supreme Court tries to define where the U.S. border begins for asylum purposes

It turns out that where the U.S. border begins, at least for purposes of asylum, is not clear.

The Supreme Court waded into that thorny question Tuesday. The justices were asked to decide whether migrants who reach the vicinity of the boundary but remain in Mexico or Canada are entitled to the same protections as someone clearly in the U.S.

The justices struggled with where to draw the line, if not at the actual border.

"How do you know under your theory when the person is close enough that we could say they have 'arrives in,' or arrived in, the destination?" said Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a Trump appointee. "How close do you have to be to the border?"

Under the law, asylum is available to someone who is already present or who "arrives in" the country.

Immigration advocates told the high court that the law stretches beyond U.S. soil to reach into Mexico or Canada to cover all those knocking on America's door. Being on the "threshold" was good enough, said Kelsi Corkran, an attorney for the immigration groups.