The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to review a federal appeals court decision that prevents officials from swiftly removing migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally without offering them a chance to apply for asylum.

U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed the petition, arguing that the ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit threatens a key tool for managing the southern border. The case stems from a presidential proclamation issued early in President Trump's second term that declared the border situation an "invasion" due to overwhelming numbers of illegal entries.

Under the proclamation and related guidance, immigration authorities can remove illegal crossers without the standard asylum processing or protections. Lower courts blocked the policy. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that neither the Constitution nor federal law permits the president to create an alternative immigration system. The D.C. Circuit upheld that decision in April, finding that immigration statutes do not grant the expansive removal authority claimed.

Sauer told the justices that the border had been overwhelmed by millions of illegal entrants before the policy took effect, creating conditions exploited by criminal organizations. He described the restrictions as the most effective part of the administration's response and warned that progress could evaporate without Supreme Court intervention.

The petition also challenges the lower courts' approval of a broad class-action lawsuit, which Sauer said effectively creates a nationwide injunction in violation of recent Supreme Court precedent against such universal relief.

Challengers, including immigrant rights groups, have until September 23 to respond to the petition. The Supreme Court has not yet indicated whether it will hear the case.

This request follows the Court's June ruling upholding the administration's authority to turn back asylum seekers at ports of entry before they set foot on U.S. soil.