A 15-YEAR-OLD girl was stranded in Rome and missed six weeks of school because of confusing new passport rules.
The new dual nationality rules meant that she was unable to return home for over a month.
Passport rules for those with dual citizenship changed in February 2026Credit: Alamy
The British girl had been visiting her grandmother in Italy in April of this year.
When it was time to return home, she was turned away at the airport because she didn’t have a valid British passport.
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The new passport rules that came into play in February mean that British nationals have to carry a valid British passport to return to the UK – they can no longer use their foreign passport.
An alternative is to have a “certificate of entitlement” costing £589.
Rowan Somerville, the father of the 15-year-old stranded in Rome, sought help from the Home Office and the Foreign Office.
But he told The Guardian: “The embassy, the Home Office and the Foreign Office bounced us from one to another.
“They are playing with people’s lives, a child’s education. It is loathsome.”
Rowan Somerville said that the Home Office couldn’t give his daughter a temporary passport because she didn’t have a British passport in the first place.
The girl’s school and local MP Joe Powell contacted the Home Office and the FCDO who eventually issued an emergency travel document.
Joe Powell said that “changes to Home Office rules resulted in her being stuck in Rome and missing six weeks of school.”
Rowan Somerville (left) contacted the Home Office and FCDO to get his daughter homeCredit: Richard YoungSince February, those with dual citizenship must use a valid UK passport to enter the countryCredit: Getty
Joe Powell added: “Thankfully, we were able to help and she’s now at home and back in school, but unfortunately this was not an isolated case.”
A Home Office spokesperson told Sun Travel: “This individual was granted an Emergency Travel Document in May, enabling them to return to the UK.
“We also remained in contact regarding a passport application, and once the required information was received and checks were concluded, a passport was issued within eight days.
“Since 25 February 2026, all dual British citizens have needed to present either a valid British passport or Certificate of Entitlement when travelling to the UK.
“Without one, carriers cannot verify British citizenship, which may lead to delays or refused boarding.” were concluded, a passport was issued within eight days.”
There are thought to be as many as 1.2million people who can no longer use their foreign passport to enter the country.
Despite the rules being outlined on the Gov.uk website, they are continuing to catch people out.
In another case, a woman who has lived in the UK for 28 years, but had been staying in Copenhagen attempted to return to the UK with her six-week- old and 23-month-old for a friend’s wedding.
But the family was refused boarding because her two children only had Danish passports which meant they didn’t have valid travel documents for returning to the UK.
People have been told that the more intense checks have ‘an upside’ after arriving
Brits told ‘one upside’ to tighter new Gibraltar border checks(Image: Getty)
Brits visiting Gibraltar now face new rules, including security screening and passport scrutiny, when landing in the British Overseas Territory. Travel journalist Simon Calder reported for The Telegraph that new rules came into force from today, July 15, as part of a post-Brexit deal.
The UK-EU agreement to create an open land border between Gibraltar and Spain has been signed in Brussels – and was brought into effect from Wednesday. It will make Gibraltar effectively part of Europe’s passport-free Schengen Zone, with the removal of checkpoints and border fences.
But the changes introduce tighter border controls at Gibraltar’s airport. On arrival at Joshua Hassan Gibraltar International Airport, Brits should expect two new sets of checks, which will satisfy entry into Gibraltar and the Schengen Area:
Gibraltar entry immigration controls – performed by the Gibraltar authorities
Schengen entry immigration controls – performed by the Spanish authorities
This includes registration under the Entry/Exit System (EES) where it applies. All of the updated entry requirements for tourists can be found on the GOV.UK website here.
The main page reads: “To enter Gibraltar, your [full UK] passport must have been issued within the previous 10 years and its validity must extend for at least three months after the day you intend to leave Gibraltar or the Schengen Area.”
If you are a British–Irish dual national and travel on your Irish passport, you will be treated as an EU citizen on entry to Gibraltar and the Schengen Area. You will not be subject to the 90-day limits, EES or ETIAS. If you travel on your British passport, the conditions above apply.
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What were the rules before July 15?
Before July 15, 2026, UK citizens visiting Gibraltar did not have their stay count toward the Schengen Area’s 90-day limit, and they only faced a single immigration check handled solely by Gibraltarian authorities upon arrival. Because the provisional UK-EU Gibraltar Agreement had not yet taken effect, Gibraltar operated entirely outside of the Schengen rules
UK nationals could visit Gibraltar for up to 90 days without a visa. Passports simply needed to be valid for the duration of the intended stay. But from today, tourists visiting the territory bordering Spain will face new rules.
What are the new ‘rules’?
As explained by Simon, he said: “From this summer, it gets a bit trickier to reach [Gibraltar] for British passport holders. The British Overseas Territory is not joining the Schengen area, but the effect for UK passport holders is the same.
On arrival in the Rock, you will be checked by Spanish passport officials to make sure that your passport meets those tricky rules on expiry and issue dates. They’ll also want to know if you’ve spent more than 90 days in the last 180 days in the Schengen area, and any time you spend in Gibraltar will count towards that total.”
With these new checks, Simon adds that there will be “an upside”. He claims that, with these stronger checks carried out in the airport upon arrival, visitors are considered inside the ‘frontier free zone’ and could travel straight into Spain without stopping again.
Major changes are set to impact British holidaymakers entering a European hotspot, and it’s good news, with the plans aimed at making travel smoother and quicker for Brits
British holidaymakers will benefit from easier travel to this European hotspot (Image: Getty Images)
A beautiful European hotspot is set to make travel easier for Brits by relaxing its entry rules.
British holidaymakers have been facing significant disruptions when travelling to Europe, partly due to the new European Union (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES), which was rolled out on 10 April 2026, and the increased demand for short-haul getaways, particularly during peak periods. In a bid to offer a smoother journey for Brits, without relentless delays and lengthy queues, Switzerland has eased some of its restrictions.
Under a new agreement between the UK and Switzerland, Brits will be allowed to use the Swiss e-gates at airports, providing a smoother experience at passport control. British tourists and business travellers visiting the country, known for its snow-capped, dramatic peaks, will also be able to benefit from scrapped roaming charges.
Mark Tanzer, ABTA chief executive, said: “We want travel to be as easy and smooth as possible, so this announcement includes great outcomes for British holidaymakers and business travellers. Removing roaming charges would give people one less thing to think about before their trip and should make it cheaper to stay in touch, too.
“Plus, giving UK visitors access to Swiss e-gates will make going through the airport smoother and quicker for tourists and business travellers alike.
“We know it’s not something that can just happen overnight, but it is encouraging to see that Switzerland has a plan in place to make it happen. Removing travel frictions like these with major European partners is so important for UK tourism and exports.”
Initial plans, set to be in place by the end of 2026, will allow Brits to enter through the e-gates at Zurich Airport, the country’s largest international airport. There are also plans to introduce this at the airports in Zurich, Geneva, and Basel.
The significant changes were announced following a new Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which could ultimately offer an estimated £5.2 billion a year in additional UK services exports to Switzerland. Meanwhile, news that thousands of British holidaymakers and business travellers could use the Swiss e-gates was confirmed outside of the FTA.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer commented: “Whether you’re growing a business or travelling for work, this agreement is about making life easier and creating more opportunity for people across the UK. It means British firms will find it easier to sell their expertise in one of our most important markets in Europe, supporting jobs and investment here at home.
“British people will also be able to enjoy using their mobile in Switzerland without extra roaming charges, and alongside the FTA, they will soon also have quicker trips through Swiss airports.”
UK holidaymakers keen to visit Switzerland do not need a visa to enter the Schengen area, and can travel for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Meanwhile, for UK services professionals, the changes will also introduce visa-free travel to Switzerland for up to 90 days a year.
The government website outlined: “UK businesses will be able to transfer people to work in Switzerland for up to 5 years, without being subject to stringent economic needs tests, making it easier to secure Swiss work permits for UK graduates in areas like finance, insurance and consultancy.”
Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said: “This is the most significant services trade deal the UK has ever negotiated. It will bring huge benefits to British business and consumers and comes after a slew of deals with the US, Europe, the Gulf, South Korea and India.
“This deal will mean faster journeys through the border, cheaper phone use for families and business travellers to Switzerland, and new opportunities for British firms selling their world-class services overseas.”
Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
For those travelling in Premium Economy, there will be no changes.
The rules will apply for both inbound and outbound flights.
A TUI spokesperson told Sun Travel: “From 1 November 2026, we are making some changes to the food and drink service included for customers travelling in Economy on our long-haul flights.
“Customers will continue to receive complimentary soft drinks throughout their flight and a complimentary beer or wine served with their main meal.
“Additional alcoholic beverages will be available to purchase onboard.”
Adults with pre-existing bookings affected by the change will be given a £12.50 refund per flight, each way, as a gesture of goodwill.
Trump’s name was removed from the centre’s facade and signage last month, after a judge ordered its removal.
Published On 9 Jul 20269 Jul 2026
A US appeals court has ruled that President Donald Trump’s name must remain off the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, while the organisation appeals an earlier ruling that found a name change illegal.
Trump’s name was removed from the centre’s facade and signage last month after US District Judge Christopher Cooper ordered the removal and blocked Trump’s plans to close the centre for renovations. An appeal against this ruling was struck down by a three-judge panel on Wednesday.
The conspicuous addition, and ensuing legal battle, became symbolic of Trump’s broader push to imprint his legacy – and, in this case, his actual name – on the nation’s capital in his final term.
The decision by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied the Trump administration’s request to pause the lower court order in a lawsuit brought by Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty, a Kennedy Center board member.
“Today’s ruling again affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename the Kennedy Center were unlawful,” Beatty said in a statement.
“His name no longer desecrates this sacred memorial, which belongs to the American people.”
The panel of judges wrote on Wednesday that the board of trustees’ request “failed to show how they will be irreparably injured” if Trump’s name remains off the building through the appeal process.
The board had argued that the removal “threatens to impede” fundraising efforts, but the judges found that claim came without the support of “specific facts or evidence”.
The Kennedy Center did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from the Associated Press news agency.
When Trump first took office in 2025, he replaced the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees, who then named him chairman. His name was quickly added to the building, but a federal judge then ruled that the name change was illegal, prompting the ensuing legal battle.
Set to make travel easier for thousands of families, a new rule has been launched across 13 airports today (Wednesday, 8 July) – and in perfect time ahead of the summer holidays
The change is set to make travel for families easier when returning to the UK(Image: Getty Images)
Families going on holiday with children this summer can benefit from a new travel rule that has been launched across UK airports.
From today (Wednesday, 8 July), children aged eight or over will be able to use the eGates at 13 UK airports, offering a smoother journey home for families. Previously, the eGates were only available to travellers aged 10 and over, and those with younger children would need to join the family queue, which can take considerably longer.
Reducing the age limit is estimated to allow around 1.5 million additional children to pass through the electronic gates and other re-entry points far more quickly. While children can now be aged eight or over to use the eGates, they must also be at least 120cm (3ft 11in) tall, so they can be easily detected by the biometric scanners.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, said: “Today’s change will make journeys easier for families with small children and reduce the hassle of travelling home after a holiday. It will also free up more time for tourists to enjoy our fantastic country this summer and in the years ahead.”
Karen Dee, Chief Executive of AirportsUK, the trade body for UK airports, also said it was a “welcome development”.
She commented: “It will give more families the ability to take advantage of this technology, speeding up the border process and reducing waiting times for many. Airports work very hard with border authorities to ensure the UK’s front door is both secure and welcoming, with those coming home and visiting enjoying a smooth experience.”
In perfect time ahead of the summer holidays, the change will affect 13 major UK airports. This includes:
Birmingham
Bristol
Cardiff
East Midlands
Edinburgh
Glasgow
London City
London Gatwick
London Heathrow
London Luton
London Stansted
Manchester
Newcastle
The eGates at airports, which form part of the government’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), scan passengers’ passports and are designed to streamline the entry process. Residents in Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, and the US will also benefit from the airport change.
Travel Insurance Expert at Confused.com, Tom Vaughan, commented on the eGates rule change for children. He said: “The minimum age for UK airport e-gates drops from ten to eight today, meaning up to 1.5 million more children could clear the border automatically instead of queuing at a staffed desk. This is great news for families travelling with young children. Anyone who’s queued at border control with tired kids will know it could mean shorter waits and a smoother end to the journey home.
“It’s also a sign of where things are heading. As facial recognition technology becomes more established, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the age threshold lowered further in the coming years. But whether or not your child can use an e-gate, the basics still apply: everyone in the family needs a valid, biometric passport to travel. It’s easy to overlook this among the excitement of planning a trip.“Our research shows that confusion around passport validity is still common, with less than half (43%) of holidaymakers aware that passports for EU travel must be issued within 10 years of departure. That’s a significant number of people who could turn up at the airport only to discover their passport isn’t valid, regardless of which gate they’re heading for. With summer getaways in full swing, it’s worth taking a few minutes to check every family member’s passport now. Our passport checker can help you spot any issues early, so the only thing slowing you down at the border is the length of the queue.”
Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com
UK airports will now allow younger passengers to use the eGates, in a huge boost for families travelling this summer holidays.
From today, passengers aged eight and nine will be able to use the faster eGates at airports across the country.
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New rules mean kids the age of eight will now be allowed to use eGates in the UKCredit: Alamy
Previous rules only allowed kids who were the age of 10 or over to use the eGates, meaning families had to wait in much longer queues at passport control.
The only other rule is that kids must be at least 120cm tall, so they can still access the screens.
The new rules are predicted to affect 1.5million kids.
There are more than 290 eGates at UK airports and ports, plus juxtaposed ports (where UK border checks take place in Europe).
This means borders like the Eurostar at London St Pancras and Eurotunnel in Folkestone.
Minister Alex Norris, Minister for Border Security and Asylum said: ”Today’s change will make journeys easier for families with small children and reduce the hassle of travelling home after a holiday.
“It will also free up more time for tourists to enjoy our fantastic country this summer and in the years ahead.”
Karen Dee, Chief Executive of AirportsUK, the trade body for UK airports, added: “This is a welcome development as it will give more families the ability to take advantage of this technology, speeding up the border process and reducing waiting times for many.”
It’s not just Brits the new rules affect either.
Non-British residents including those from the US, Australia and Japan, along with non-Schengen countries in Europe will be able to use the eGates too.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida speaks during a roundtable event in March in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the De-Santis-championed Stop WOKE Act violates free speech. File Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
July 7 (UPI) — A federal panel of appeals court judges ruled Tuesday that the Stop WOKE Act championed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis violates the free speech of professors and is a “breathtaking assertion of power.”
The Florida law restricted how professors can teach, especially when speaking about gender and race, in colleges and universities. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled 2-1 to support a 2022 decision that called the law “positively dystopian,” Politico reported.
The court Tuesday went further, saying the act is a “breathtaking assertion of power to ban unpopular ideas from public discourse in the very places the state’s own statutes recognize as centers of inquiry — classrooms where students are trusted to puzzle through ideas that are good and bad, easy and hard, ideally getting ever closer to the truth.”
“If the First Amendment offers any boundary of protection at all for public university classrooms, this statute crosses it,” the ruling said.
Judge Britt C. Grant wrote the opinion, joined by Judge Charles R. Wilson. Judge Barbara Lagoa, however, wrote a dissent saying the First Amendment “does not compel all viewpoints to be worthy of state-sponsored endorsement.”
The Florida Legislature approved the act, also called the Individual Freedom Act, in 2022. The state has been fighting it in court ever since.
The lawsuits that led to the ruling Tuesday were brought by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a student free-speech group, and the American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Florida and Legal Defense Fund.
FIRE senior attorney Greg Greubel said the decision “means that college remains a place where professors and students are allowed to debate controversial topics — even if politicians disagree with them.”
DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday, Politico said. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier praised Lagoa on social media, saying she “may be the best jurist in our country” and should be on the U.S. Supreme Court.
Farage served as Reform’s honorary president between March 2021 and June 2024. On 3 June 2024, he confirmed he was returning as party leader and standing in the general election. He became Clacton MP in July 2024.
Under parliamentary rules, new MPs must declare financial interests and “registrable benefits” received in the 12 months before their election.
The guidelines say purely personal gifts or benefits do not need to be registered.
When he became an MP, Farage registered a £9,253 trip to Belgium in April 2024 donated by Cottrell, and later added a £15,276 donation from Cottrell for a US domestic flight he provided in December 2024.
A spokesman for Farage said: “It comes as no surprise that the Sunday Times has chosen to publish this baseless and contrived story, covering a period of time when Nigel Farage was not even an active politician let alone an elected one, given that the newspaper backed the Labour Party at the last general election.
“Contrary to the story’s tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken.”
A source said Reform paid for Farage’s security and staff after his return to politics.
The source also denied Farage received accommodation from Cottrell – saying the MP did not stay at the London property.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Daniel Greenberg, is currently investigating whether Farage broke the rules over the £5m gift from British cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne in early 2024.
Farage has said Harborne gave him the money to pay for his personal security, adding the gift was “purely private” and “wasn’t political in any sense at all”.
Lib Dem MP Josh Babarinde has asked Greenberg to “get to the bottom” of the latest allegations linked to Farage’s support from Cottrell.
Babarinde has also asked Greenberg to confirm whether he will investigate the claims as part of the existing inquiry or as a separate matter.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Nigel Farage and Reform are engulfed in a huge and growing scandal.
“These new allegations of secret payments from a wealthy convicted criminal are on top of the ongoing scandal of his secret £5m gift from a crypto billionaire.
“How much money has he been given, what did his donors get in return, and why has he tried to cover them up and avoid legitimate questions?”
Responding to Jenrick’s interview, Labour said Reform “can’t shrug this scandal off and hope it goes away”.
NEW travel rules are due to come into force next week impacting British families – but for the better.
From July 8, more children will be able to use eGates at UK airports.
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UK airport eGate rules are changing next weekCredit: Alamy
The new rules will allow children aged eight and nine, who are at least 120cm tall to use eGates when accompanied by an adult.
The height restriction is in place as kids need to be able to see and be captured by the biometric screens at the gates.
Under the current rules, children needed to be 10-years-old to use the eGates and prior to 2023, kids needed to be 12-years-old to use them.
This meant families with younger children would have to go in the standard queue to see a border force officer, which usually involves a longer process and wait time.
The change means that around 1.5million more children can use the gates.
The rule change will impact 13 airports across the UK that currently use eGates, including:
London Heathrow
London Gatwick
London City
London Luton
London Stansted
Manchester
Birmingham
Bristol
East Midlands
Newcastle
Cardiff
Edinburgh
Glasgow
These rules will also impact other travel methods from the UK to Europe such as Eurostar and the Eurotunnel.
It will also affect people travelling from non-Schengen countries in Europe along with the US, Australia and Japan.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Mike Tapp said: “Travel with young children can be stressful for parents.”
“By expanding eGate access, more families can experience a swifter and smoother journey home – freeing up precious time thissummer holiday season.”
Karen Dee, Chief Executive of AirportsUK, the trade body for UK airports, said: “This is a welcome development as it will give more families the ability to take advantage of this technology, speeding up the border process and reducing waiting times for many.”
European airlines and airports call for flexibility to suspend digital border system amid severe delays.
Published On 2 Jul 20262 Jul 2026
The European Union’s new digital border check system is causing severe disruption to travel, with passengers facing five-hour queues and departure gates closing with planes only half-full, industry representatives have warned.
In an open letter published online on Wednesday, the top representative bodies for Europe’s airports and airlines said that delays caused by the bloc’s recently-implemented Entry/Exit System (EES) had reached a “critical point”.
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“The current implementation of the EES is creating severe operational consequences, disrupting passengers and putting border authorities, airports and airlines under unsustainable pressure,” Airports Council International Europe, Airlines for Europe, and the International Air Transport Association said in a joint letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“We therefore urge your immediate intervention before the situation deteriorates further during the peak summer travel season.”
With European airports expected to handle 40 million more passengers in July and August than the previous two months, EU leaders “must take stock of the reality of the current situation and of what our air transport system will face over the coming weeks”, the lobby groups said.
“Without additional flexibility, existing challenges will inevitably intensify,” they said.
“As representatives of Europe’s aviation sector, we have a responsibility to warn that this would result in a significant worsening of an already very difficult situation for passengers.”
Warning that the travel disruption was undermining the reputation of the EU and European tourism, the industry groups said it was crucial that the continent continued to be an “efficient, welcoming and competitive” destination.
“Reports already suggest that some international travellers are reconsidering trips to Europe because of the prospect of excessive border delays,” they said.
A police officer scans a passport during a presentation of an automated terminal for registration to the Entry/Exit System (EES) at the Vaclav Havel airport in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 14, 2025 [David W Cerny/Reuters]
Until the stability of the EES is ensured and adequate staffing levels are in place, EU member states should be immediately granted the flexibility to “completely suspend” the new system whenever passenger numbers exceed the “operational capacity” of border facilities, the lobby groups said.
The World Travel and Tourism Council, the world’s largest representative body for tourism-related businesses, said on Wednesday that it endorsed the letter’s calls, warning that the delays could put up to 41 million arrivals and $45.4bn in visitor spending at risk.
“If lengthy delays become accepted practice, travellers will look elsewhere,” WTTC President and CEO Gloria Guevara said in a statement.
“Europe cannot afford to compromise its competitiveness or the experience it offers millions of visitors.”
The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Al Jazeera outside of regular business hours.
The EU began rolling out the EES in October as a replacement for passport stamping.
The system records each traveller’s name, passport information, fingerprints and facial images, and his or her date and place of entry and exit.
The European Commission announced that the ESS was “fully operational” across the Schengen Area in April, but the system has been blamed for lengthy delays since its introduction, including cases of flights leaving before many of their passengers were able to board.
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld laws in West Virginia and Idaho that forbid transgender athletes from competing on girls’ sports teams.
In a 6-3 decision, the court said the federal Title IX law envisioned separate teams for girls and boys based on their biological sex at birth.
“Separate sports teams for biological males and biological females are reasonable,” wrote Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. “Given the inherent physical differences between the sexes, allowing only biological females to play on women’s and girls’ teams can reduce the risk of physical injury and ensure fair competition.”
Kavanaugh, who has coached girls’ teams for many years, said 27 states have adopted laws prohibiting transgender athletes on girls’ teams.
But his opinion does not say states such as California must change their laws that forbid schools from discriminating based on gender. Instead, he stressed states are free to make their own decision.
“Consistent with Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause, we hold that the states may maintain women’s and girls’ sports for biological females. They may determine eligibility for women’s and girls’ sports based on biological sex. The Constitution and Title IX do not require an overhaul of women’s and girls’ sports throughout America,” Kavanaugh said.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented in part. She said the state should have considered transgender students on a case-by-case basis to decide whether they had an unfair advantage. Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented as well.
The court’s decision is likely to bolster the Trump administration’s drive to pressure states, schools and universities that permit transgender athletes to compete on girls’ and women’s sports teams.
Because the Education Department provides federal funds to these states and schools, it can require them to comply with Title IX.
The sole plaintiff in the court case was Becky Pepper-Jackson. Now 15, she has carried on a lonely legal fight to compete on her school’s track team in Bridgeport, W.Va.
Designated male at birth, she says she is the only transgender girl competing in her state and has been the target of complaints and protests.
Her case drew strong reactions on both sides of the issue.
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey hailed Tuesday’s decision as “one of the most important victories for women’s athletics” since the passage of Title IX in 1972.
“We defended a simple principle most Americans instinctively understand — that women’s sports exist to provide women and girls a fair opportunity to compete and succeed,” he said.
Penny Nance, president of Concerned Women for America, said “it is self-evident that males and females are biologically different, and the U.S. Supreme Court has confirmed this truth. It is fundamentally unfair for a male who feels like a female to demand that biological categories be ignored to accommodate his desire to compete among females.”
Joshua Block, the ACLU attorney who argued the case, called it “a heartbreaking ruling for our clients and transgender girls like them who’ve asked for nothing more than the same opportunities afforded to their peers,” he said.
“The reality is that the equality of transgender women and girls takes nothing away from, and in fact promotes, the equality of all women and girls.”
“This ruling is deeply harmful for transgender women and girls who only asked for the ability to participate in sports with their peers,” said Sasha Buchert, senior attorney with Lambda Legal. “Countless studies have demonstrated the myriad benefits that come with participation in team sports.”
The sports career of Becky Pepper-Jackson reflects some of the difficulty of the issue.
In sixth grade, she participated in cross country and described herself as slow. She “routinely placed near the back of the pack,” her attorneys told the court.
Her court appeals focused on a wish to participate in sports, not to win. But upon reaching high school, she has been winning.
In 2024, she “placed in the top three in every track event in which B.P.J. competed, winning most,” the state’s attorneys said. In the spring of 2025, “focusing on strength events, B.P.J. bumped female competitors out of the state tournament, then placed third in the state in discus and eighth in shot put while competing against much older female athletes,” they told the court.
Her ACLU attorney explained she has been winning in the shot put and discus “through hard work and practice,” not because of an advantage based on biology.
He said she “received puberty-delaying medication and gender-affirming estrogen that allowed her to undergo a hormonal puberty typical of a girl.”
The US Supreme Court has blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship for all individuals born on US soil, ruling that children born in the country remain entitled to citizenship under the Constitution.
What you need to know about boarding pass policies for the UK’s biggest airlines, including the carriers that have gone completely paperless and the destinations that require a printed pass
16:31, 29 Jun 2026Updated 16:31, 29 Jun 2026
Check your airline’s rules before setting off for the airport(Image: Getty Images)
Getting your hands on your boarding pass was once a straightforward affair. You’d turn up at the airport, check in at the desk, and a member of staff would hand you a printed copy.
These days, however, with increasing numbers of passengers choosing to check in online and airlines offering digital boarding passes, the whole process can feel rather bewildering.
If you haven’t got the airline’s app, do you need to download it? And if you choose to use a digital boarding pass, what happens should your phone go missing or your battery gives out?
Here’s what some of the UK’s biggest airlines have to say about boarding passes and what’s expected of you when you travel with them, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Ryanair
Ryanair has confirmed it has “moved to 100% Digital Boarding Passes (DBP)”. This means you’ll receive your boarding pass via the Ryanair app once you’ve checked in — which can be done either through the website or the app itself.
All travellers will be required to download the Ryanair app and check in online, with reminder notifications sent 48 and then 24 hours before departure. Any passenger who fails to check in online will face an airport check-in fee of €/£55 for most flights, or €/£30 for flights departing from Spain.
Once you’ve checked in, your boarding pass should appear automatically within the Ryanair app. Should you lose your phone or your battery runs flat after checking in, Ryanair confirms it will print a replacement boarding pass free of charge.
Travellers departing from certain airports in Morocco are still required to have a printed boarding pass. Ryanair explain: “Passengers flying from Morocco must check in online as normal and then present their DBP at the airport to collect a printed boarding pass, with the exception of those flying from Marrakech, Fez, Agadir, Tangier, Nador or Oujda, where you can now use your digital boarding pass on the Ryanair app.”
Jet2
Jet2 provides a paperless option for its flights and package holidays. By downloading the Jet2 app, passengers can access documents such as boarding passes all in one place.
Jet2 advise that “you can save boarding passes for up to eight passengers on one device.” It added: “When using multiple boarding passes per device, please make sure your group stays together at the bag drop, security, gate and when boarding the plane.”
For those who prefer the peace of mind that comes with a printed boarding pass, Jet2 explains you can: “Log in to Manage My Booking, then select ‘Get boarding pass’. From here, you can either get a PDF boarding pass sent to you or save it to your device. No need to print – just show the pass on your screen when you get to the airport.”
TUI
TUI explains: “if you’re flying with TUI Airways (flight numbers starting with TOM or BY), you have a choice. TUI Airways accepts both digital and paper boarding passes.”
It clarifies that passengers who would rather have a printed boarding pass should be sure to use A4 paper, ensure their copy is legible with no tears or damage, and that the barcode is clearly visible, as it will need to be scanned at the airport.
It’s important to bear in mind that not all TUI package holidays involve TUI Airways flights. If you’ve arranged a package holiday but the flight is operated by an airline such as Ryanair or easyJet, you’ll need to verify the regulations for the particular airline you’re travelling with.
EasyJet
There is a list of airports that don’t accept mobile boarding passes on easyJet’s website, including Antalya and Izmir. The majority of these are located in Egypt, Turkey, and Tunisia. If you’re travelling to one of these airports you should check in online and print a boarding pass.
That said, for most easyJet flights, the airline suggests downloading its app to keep all your trip details in one place. It says: “For more convenience and to access your boarding passes offline, you can download mobile boarding passes directly to your Apple or Google wallet.”
For those who prefer a paper boarding pass, these remain perfectly acceptable, with easyJet’s website stating: “The best way to store your boarding passes is to use the free easyJet mobile App or you can choose to print them out. You cannot use a PDF scan of your boarding pass on your mobile device as the airport security team will be unable to scan them.
“If you lose your boarding pass don’t worry, you can simply print them again. If printing, make sure the entire boarding pass is clearly printed.”
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Two more airports could ditch the need for Brits to register their biometric details when entering the Schengen area in the hope of avoiding ‘disaster’ this summer
14:38, 29 Jun 2026Updated 14:39, 29 Jun 2026
Two more airports could scrap the Entry/Exit System (EES) for Brits amid summer concerns(Image: Getty Images)
The EU’s new travel rules have caused growing concerns for the peak travel season, prompting a number of destinations to look at options to waive them for holidaymakers.
The European Union’s (EU) Entry/Exit System (EES) was fully rolled out on 10 April 2026, requiring all Brits heading to the Schengen area to “create a digital record” and register their biometric details, including fingerprints and a photograph. While it’s been successful in many countries, it continues to cause significant travel disruption at European airports.
There have been reports of Brits being asked to submit their biometric information again, despite having already provided it on their first visit to the Schengen zone. Holidaymakers have also been stuck in gruelling queues lasting up to four hours as they attempt to navigate the digital border system, with missed flights and ruined holiday plans.
In an attempt to ease the travel chaos, particularly during peak travel times, Greece opted to waive the EU requirement for Brits to provide fingerprints and facial scans at airport border controls earlier this year. In an official statement, the Greek Embassy confirmed: “In the framework of the implementation of the Entry/Exit System, as of 10 April 2026, British passport holders are exempt from biometric registration at Greek border crossing points.”
Now, it appears that Rome Fiumicino Airport and Rome Ciampino Airport could join Greece in waiving the EU requirements in a bid to avoid “disaster” during the peak summer travel months.
Aeroporti di Roma Chief Executive Officer Marco Troncone told the Financial Times, “We are very worried for the summer”, and said his concerns were an “eight or nine” out of 10. He added: “The process proves to be incompatible with the peak volumes that we are going to face. So the only way is to open up the valve. There is no way that we can deliver 100% of the enrolment.”
While Rome is yet to make such a change, Greece remains the only country to have officially eased the EU requirements for British travellers. However, an EU official has indicated that European airports could relax EES requirements until September this year.
Uku Särekanno, Deputy Executive Director of Frontex, which helps to manage the external borders of the EU, said earlier this month: “We have until the end of the summer, the possibility during the tourism season to lift the biometric controls or the biometric registration temporarily.
“If there is a peak hour, you see that there are hundreds of people queuing, their queues are getting too long, then member states still have the possibility to lift biometric registration. The EU has considered, for the period of summer, to make sure that there is still some relief for the worst-case scenario.”
The new digital border system is required for the initial arrival at the airport border within the Schengen zone and has replaced the traditional manual passport-stamping process. Once the initial registration is complete, the EES remains valid for three years.
Countries in the Schengen area include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Meanwhile, the EES system is not needed for travel to the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus, as neither falls within the Schengen area.
The Foreign Office confirmed the EES change for Greece on its travel advice page. It read: “Greek authorities have indicated that they will not collect biometric data (fingerprints and photos) for UK travellers as part of EES. Follow the advice of authorities on the ground. If you are resident in Greece, make sure to show your residence documentation at passport control to ensure you are not registered in EES.”
Some of the major mainland airports in Greece include: the International Airport of Athens, Thessaloniki International Airport, Kalamata International Airport and Aktion National Airport. Meanwhile, those on the islands include Corfu International Airport, Kefalonia International Airport and Zakynthos International Airport.
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Passengers have been urged to read up on their airline’s mobile boarding pass requirements
Passengers flying soon have been urged to stick to the rules(Image: Getty)
With many youngsters soon breaking up from school for the summer holidays, it won’t be long before families begin making their way to the airport.
However, before loading up the car and wheeling out the luggage, it’s worth brushing up on the rules surrounding mobile boarding passes, as certain airports do not accept them. On top of location-specific restrictions, one budget airline has gone entirely paperless since November 2025. Here’s what you need to know if you’re travelling with easyJet or Ryanair.
What are easyJet’s mobile boarding pass rules?
The airline encourages travellers to use mobile boarding passes, as they allow all travel information to be stored in one secure, easy-to-access location. They also help reduce paper waste by eliminating the need for printed boarding passes.
For added convenience and offline access, you can also save your mobile boarding passes directly to your Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
Not all airports accept mobile boarding passes. Easyjet explains: “The majority of our airports accept mobile boarding passes, however, the airports listed below do not currently accept mobile boarding passes.”
This includes:
ADB – Izmir
AGA – Agadir
AYT – Antalya
AQJ – Aqaba
BEG – Belgrade-Beograd
DJE – Djerba
ESU – Essaouira
EVE- Harstad
HRG – Hurghada
JSH – Sitia
LXR – Luxor
NBE – Enfidha-Hammamet
RAK – Marrakech
RBA – Rabat Sale
RMF – Marsa Alam
SCR- Scandinavian Mountains
SPX – Cairo Sphinx
SSH – Sharm El Sheikh
It adds: “If you’re flying from an airport that doesn’t currently accept mobile boarding passes, please check in online at www.easyJet.com and print out a paper boarding pass for your flight.
“Many of these airports require all passengers to complete a document check before going to security. If travelling from an affected airport, please make sure you, and anyone you’re travelling with goes to our Bag Drop for a document check before going through security.”
Ryanair confirmed it has “moved to 100% Digital Boarding Passes (DBP). This means all passengers will receive a DBP to their Ryanair App when they check-in online.”
Passengers simply need to check in online via Ryanair.com or through the Ryanair App before arriving at the airport. Once checked in, your DBP will appear automatically within the Ryanair App.
You should present your DBP at airport security and at the boarding gate for your flight. The airline explains the shift to fully digital means:
DBP lowers airport costs and fares for all Ryanair passengers.
Provides a better service (including flight info) for customers on day of travel.
Improves customer service and re-booking during flight disruptions.
Better for our environment (gets rid of 300 tonnes of paper annually).
If you have completed online check-in and your smartphone or tablet is lost, stolen, or runs out of battery, you can get a complimentary boarding pass at the airport.
It adds: “If passengers don’t have a smartphone or tablet, as long as they have already checked-in online before arriving at the airport, they will receive a free of charge boarding pass at the airport. However, they will not be able to access real-time flight updates or benefit from enhanced customer service during any flight disruptions.”
If passengers don’t check-in online before arriving at the airport, they will be required to pay the airport check-in fee.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued a warning to passengers about the dangers of packing power banks in hold luggage after a surge in lithium battery incidents on UK flights
13:34, 26 Jun 2026Updated 14:16, 26 Jun 2026
BBC News showed footage of the power bank fire breaking out in the overhead locker of a flight(Image: Getty Images)
UK-based airlines have prohibited a common electrical device labelled the ‘number one safety risk to aircraft’ after footage emerged showing it erupting into flames inside a cabin. Passengers on flights are being urged not to place power banks or vapes in their checked luggage as the busy summer holiday travel season gets underway across parts of the UK.
Several carriers have begun implementing outright bans on power banks that travellers use to charge their phones and tablets amid mounting safety concerns. Generally, power banks are permitted only in hand luggage, not checked baggage, because of worries they could explode and catch fire mid-flight.
Power banks house rechargeable lithium batteries, which pack a considerable amount of energy into a compact space, and when defective can trigger fierce fires that spread rapidly.
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On BBC Breakfast today, correspondent Katy Austin described it as a ‘terrifying situation’ on a recent flight. She said: “Flames broke out in the overhead baggage compartment of an Air China plane last October. The cause is thought to have been a lithium battery. They’re in loads of commonly used devices like laptops, vapes, phones, and power banks. They can store a lot of energy in a small space, but if they overheat or are defective, this video of a test in a lab shows just how quickly a fire can start.
“Last year, UK authorities were informed of 643 incidents where lithium batteries were detected packed in hold bags. That’s nearly twice the number the year before. Reports of devices overheating or malfunctioning also nearly doubled to more than 200. Most were in the cabin where crew could deal with the situation. The fear is that incidents in the hold could not be discovered until it’s too late to control.”
“It contains a lot of energy in a very small space, which is fantastic for, you know, our devices. It means we can use them for longer. But the problem with that is when things go wrong, the fires can be quite ferocious and you can’t put these fires out in the way you can with a normal fire that you might have because these fires are like self fueling.
“The advice for plane passengers is to take items like mobile phones, vapes, and power banks on board with you. Never charge power bank on a flight and turn off laptops completely if they’re going to be put in check-in bags.”
The CAA revealed that reports of passenger devices overheating or malfunctioning last year were almost double the figure from 2024. Instances of lithium battery-powered gadgets being wrongly packed in hold baggage surged by 91% during the same timeframe.
CAA director of aviation safety Giancarlo Buono said: “Pack right for a safe flight, and that means don’t put your batteries in your checked bag. Take them into the cabin with you. This simple tip will make your flight safer for you, and the other passengers you’re flying with.”
Research involving airline passengers revealed that 36% have no idea about the risks associated with packing batteries in hold luggage.
easyJet
EasyJet enforces stringent rules stipulating that all lithium-ion batteries, spare batteries and power banks must be carried in cabin hand luggage only, with a blanket ban on hold luggage due to the risk of fire. Power banks below 100Wh (approximately 27,000mAh) are permitted without prior approval; those between 100-160Wh require authorisation from the airline.
Portable electronic devices containing batteries must be transported exclusively as carry-on baggage.
Should any of these items find their way into checked baggage, steps must be taken to prevent accidental activation and to safeguard the devices from harm; all devices must be completely powered down (not left in sleep or hibernation mode). EasyJet imposes a limit of 15 portable electronic devices per passenger.
Portable electronic devices housing non-spillable batteries must not exceed 12V or 100Wh, and passengers are permitted to carry a maximum of 2 spare batteries. When bringing smart baggage into the cabin, travellers must be able to quickly and easily detach and remove the lithium battery/power bank, although it may remain inside the bag.
Smart baggage will not be accepted for travel if the lithium battery/power bank cannot be readily detached and removed by the passenger. If smart luggage is to be checked into the hold, the lithium battery/power bank must be removed from the smart luggage at Bag Drop and taken into the cabin.
Any exposed terminals must be protected against short circuits. The lithium battery/power bank must be detachable, so if it cannot be removed from your luggage, the bag will not be permitted on board.
Passengers may carry up to 15 personal electronic devices (this includes but is not limited to: smartphones, tablets, laptops, cameras, handheld game consoles, headphones, power banks). Spare lithium batteries (including power banks) must be individually protected to prevent short circuits by placing them in their original retail packaging, or by otherwise securing terminals by taping over any exposed terminals or putting each battery in a separate plastic bag or protective pouch, and must only be transported in carry-on baggage.
Passengers are also permitted to bring up to 20 spare lithium batteries, as long as they don’t surpass 100Wh each. Spare lithium batteries, including power banks taken into the cabin, must not go beyond 100Wh and mustn’t be used to charge or power other portable electronic devices during taxi, take-off or landing.
They must not be placed in cabin baggage stored in the overhead locker. Rather, they ought to be kept in cabin baggage under the seat in front of you, or carried on your person.
Devices or batteries exceeding 100Wh are banned in both the cabin and hold, apart from electric wheelchair batteries. Spare batteries, including power banks, are not allowed in checked baggage.
TUI’s regulations forbid passengers from packing loose lithium batteries, power banks, or spare batteries in checked-in luggage. These items must only be carried in hand luggage.
Power banks must generally not exceed 100Wh, and terminals must be safeguarded against short circuits. Devices shouldn’t be recharged while on board.
Dry AA(A) batteries (type Alkaline, NiMh, NiC) for small personal items such as a pocket torch or a radio are permitted, provided they’re inside the device or contained in sturdy packaging. When devices are placed in hold baggage, measures must be taken to protect the device from damage and prevent accidental activation; the device must be completely switched off (not in sleep or hibernation mode).
Spare batteries and power banks should be individually protected against short circuits by keeping them in their original packaging, with terminals covered in tape or placed in a plastic bag in hand luggage.
Airline approval is always required for medical devices. For further information, see section Baggage – Medical baggage.
TUI fly requires that all power banks must be carried in hand luggage, never in checked baggage. They must be packaged to prevent short circuits (original packaging or terminals covered with tape).
Generally, capacity is limited to 100 Watt-hours (Wh) per battery, with power banks not permitted to be used for charging devices or recharged while onboard.
Hand Luggage Only: Due to fire risk, all lithium-powered battery packs must be in the cabin. Capacity Limits: Power banks up to 100 Wh (roughly 27,000 mAh at 3.7V) are generally permitted.
Safety Requirements: Terminals must be protected against short circuits, such as by taping them or keeping them in individual plastic bags.
In-flight Usage: Power banks cannot be used to charge phones or laptops during flight, nor should they be recharged using aircraft power outlets.
Storage: Keep them in your seat pocket or under your seat, not in overhead bins
THE summer of warned EES chaos is almost upon us – but two airports are set to scrap the new entry rules for Brits.
Both Rome Fiumicino Airport and Rome Ciampino Airport could suspend the requirements to avoid length queues at passport control.
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EES could be suspended at two Italian airports during the summer periodCredit: Alamy
Talking to the Financial Times, Aeroporti di Roma Chief Executive Officer Marco Troncone said that allowing passengers to skip EES checks is the only way to avoid “disaster”.
He added “we are very worried for the summer” and rated his concerns an “eight or nine” out of 10.
Marco Troncone said: “The process proves to be incompatible with the peak volumes that we are going to face.
“So the only way is to open up the valve. There is no way that we can deliver 100 per cent of the enrolment.”
These two Italian airports can be particularly busy during the summer period.
Rome Fiumicino Airport sees over five million passengers per month during the peak summer travel season.
In recent years, numbers have been as high as 180,000 in a single day.
Rome Ciampino Airport is a little quieter but can still see up to 3.9million total passengers per year.
During the summer, there are estimates of up to 400,000 passengers per month through the airport, according to Aeroporti di Roma.
EES requires UK and other non-EU nationals to register at the border with their biometrics and will replace manual passport stamping.
EES has caused lengthy queues and passengers have even missed their flight homeCredit: Alamy
But since their introduction there have been reported issues which have caused up to six- hour queues through airports.
Another issue was raised by Olivier Jankovec, head of the airports industry group ACI Europe.
H said that one of the biggest problems is that the self-service EES points “don’t work”.
He also said that there is congestion caused by a lack of organisation.
Once enrolled with EES, travellers should be able to go through gates automatically on future trips without needing to use the machines again.
But at the moment, lots of airports haven’t introduced separate queues for those who have already completed EES checks which is adding to wait times.
Queues at passport control have been so long at some airports that passengers have missed flights.
Earlier this month, a Ryanair flight was forced to leave up to 50 of its passengers behind when they were stuck in Athens Airport in what they dubbed a ‘mega queue’.
WASHINGTON — Licensed gun owners have a right to carry a concealed firearm into stores and other private places unless the owner objects, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
The 6-3 decision extends gun rights and strikes down laws in Hawaii, California, New York, New Jersey and Maryland.
Those measures would prohibit carrying guns onto private property that is open to the public unless the owner has expressly authorized them.
“This regime hobbles what the 2nd Amendment protects: the right of Americans to carry arms for self-defense as they go about their daily lives. We hold that the law is unconstitutional,” Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. said for the court.
The new laws, if upheld, would “impose severe restrictions on the daily activities of residents who have satisfied the state’s rigorous requirements for the issuance of a carry permit. When these permit holders leave home in the morning, … they may also be barred from entering many places that people routinely visit in the course of their daily routines, such as gas stations, convenience stores, restaurants, coffee shops, drug stores, grocery stores, ‘big box’ stores, home improvement stores, barber shops or hair salons, dry cleaners, and laundromats.”
The three liberals dissented, saying the law would protect property owners who don’t want guns in their stores.
“There is no constitutional right to enter private property without the owner’s permission, let alone with a firearm,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Trump administration lawyers had joined a coalition of Hawaii gun owners in urging the court to strike down these blue state laws in the case of Wolford vs. Lopez.
They said the laws, if enforced, would mean “a person carrying a handgun for self-defense commits a crime by entering a mall, a gas station, a convenience store, a supermarket, a restaurant or a coffee shop.”
This litigation is part of much broader debate over where guns may be permitted or prohibited.
Four years ago, the justices ruled that law-abiding persons had a right to obtain a permit to carry a concealed gun when they left home. They also agreed there are “sensitive places” where guns may be prohibited, such as schools, courts and other government buildings.
In response, lawmakers in California and Hawaii adopted their own lists of “sensitive places.” They imposed restrictions on concealed weapons at parks, beaches, playgrounds, places of worship and public transit as well as bars and restaurants that serve alcohol.
Gun owners sued but the 9th Circuit Court refused to block most of those restrictions in a single 83-page opinion covering Hawaii and California. Both states would prohibit carrying guns onto private property open to the public without the owner’s consent.
The 9th Circuit upheld that measure in principle but said California went too far by requiring the owner to post a prominent sign expressly authorizing guns.
“While today’s ruling in Wolford is disappointing, owners still have every right to decide whether firearms are allowed in their stores and businesses,” said Janet Carter, managing director of Second Amendment Litigation at Everytown Law. “The Supreme Court may have changed the default rule, but it cannot take away a private property owner’s authority over their own land.”
The Firearms Policy Coalition said the court had properly protected gun rights and barred states from carving out their “own regional version of the 2nd Amendment.”
“The historical record does not support forcing peaceable people to obtain advance permission before carrying for self-defense in places held open to them,” the group said.
Last week, the court upheld gun rights in a Texas case and said the government may not make it a crime for an “unlawful user” of a drug such as marijuana to own a gun.
WASHINGTON — Asylum seekers may be turned away without a hearing at the southern border, the Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a historic retreat from the promise of relief for those who say they are fleeing persecution.
The justices split over whether this was a simple dispute over legal wording or a moral question involving desperate families.
Siding with the Trump administration, the court’s conservatives said the Refugee Act of 1980 offers a right to seek asylum to migrants who “arrive in the United States” but not those who are turned back when they approach a border crossing or a port of entry.
“This case presents a straightforward question” that turns on the word “in,” said Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. “In ordinary speech, no one would say that a person ‘arrives in’ a place — for example, a house, a city, or a country — before the person enters that place.”
The liberal dissenters agreed with immigration rights lawyers who saw this as a nonsensical reading of the law.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the asylum law arose from the “international moral reckoning that followed the Holocaust and World War II.”
She cited the infamous voyage of the MS St. Louis in 1939. More than 900 Jewish refugees attempted to flee persecution in Nazi Germany by setting sail aboard the ship, which was turned away from Cuba and the United States.
Most of the passengers were returned to Europe, and several hundred died in the Holocaust, she said.
“Congress passed the Refugee Act in 1980 because it did not want this country to repeat the mistakes of its past. Yet if the refugees on the M.S. St. Louis were to walk up to a port of entry on our southern border today, the majority’s interpretation would allow immigration officers to refuse even to consider their asylum applications by physically blocking them from stepping foot onto U. S. soil,” Sotomayor wrote.
Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson agreed.
The Department of Homeland Security said these asylum seekers must wait on the Mexican side of the border until they could return for a scheduled interview. The policy was extended to other border crossings, but it was challenged as illegal in federal court in San Diego.
Last year, a divided 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that those restrictions were illegal if they prevented migrants from applying for asylum.
“To ‘arrive’ means ‘to reach a destination,’” wrote Judge Michelle Friedland. “A person who presents herself to an official at the border has ‘arrived.’”
She said the “government’s reading would reflect a radical reconstruction of the right to apply for asylum because it would give the executive branch vast discretion to prevent people from applying by blocking them at the border.”
The 2-1 decision upheld a federal judge in San Diego who ruled for migrants who had filed a class-action suit and said they were wrongly denied an asylum hearing.
But Solicitor Gen. D. John Sauer urged the Supreme Court to review and reverse the appellate ruling, noting 15 judges of the 9th Circuit joined dissents that called the decision “radical” and “clearly wrong.”
The administration argued federal immigration law “does not grant aliens throughout the world a right to enter the United States so that they can seek asylum.”
From abroad, they may “seek admission as refugees,” Sauer said, but the government may enforce its laws by “blocking illegal immigrants from stepping on U.S. soil.”
Defenders of the asylum system denounced the decision.
“We believe that today’s ruling violates international law, as well as the express intent of Congress,” said Erika Pinheiro, executive director of the migrant support organization Al Otro Lado, which led the legal fight. “For decades, the United States has allowed individuals and families who are fleeing persecution, torture and death to ask for protection at U.S. borders.”
“Cruelty is not a substitute for real solutions. Blocking people from seeking asylum at official ports of entry will do nothing to fix our broken immigration system, said Rebecca Cassler, senior litigation attorney at the American Immigration Council. “It only makes things more chaotic and dangerous for vulnerable families.”
The Federation for American Immigration Reform applauded the decision.
“Our immigration laws are written to be pro-enforcement, not-anti-enforcement,” said Christopher J. Hajec, deputy general counsel of FAIR. “Because of this, courts that hamstring enforcement are often forced to violate basic logic, as the 9th Circuit did here. We are pleased the Supreme Court saw that the lower court’s reading would make immigration law incoherent, and reversed.”
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Trump administration may end the Temporary Protected Status granted to more than 350,000 Haitians and Syrians whose home countries remain unsafe.
In a 6-3 decision, the court’s conservative majority said Congress gave the administration, not judges, the power to cancel or renew this temporary protection for non-citizens who are living and working here.
In a second win Thursday for the Trump administration, the court also upheld the administration’s policy of blocking asylum seekers at the southern border.
By the same 6-3 vote, the court said migrants do not have a right to apply for asylum if they are not already in the United States.
The decision on Temporary Protected Status could affect up to 1.3 million non-citizens who are in the country.
In 1990, Congress authorized this emergency humanitarian relief for non-citizens whose home countries were wracked by armed conflict, natural disasters or other extraordinary disruptions.
Under the law, the Department of Homeland Security may grant this protection for 6, 12 or 18 months and either renew or extend it for a similar period.
But this legal authority has been under dispute since Trump returned to the White House last year and targeted the 1.3 million people with TPS from 17 countries who were living in the United States.
Trump’s lawyers said the law made clear there was “no judicial review” of the government’s decision to cancel the grant of temporary protection.
However, immigrant rights lawyers argued the government failed in its duty to consult the State Department and assess whether it was safe for migrants to return home.
Repeatedly, U.S. district judges agreed with the challengers and ruled the administration’s decisions were “arbitrary” and unreasonable. But in nearly every case, the Supreme Court granted emergency appeals from the administration and set aside those orders.
Since TPS was created, the government has ended the protected designation for citizens of 18 countries.
DHS under then-Secretary Kristi Noem ended TPS for Honduras, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Venezuela. A spokesperson for the agency previously said the Haiti designation became “a de facto amnesty program” and that allowing Syrians to remain is contrary to national interest.
Advocates for the immigrants argue that the administration failed to conduct the required process to properly evaluate each country’s conditions and instead acted on political grounds driven by racial animus.
State Department travel advisories for both countries warn people against traveling to either because of the risk of terrorism, kidnapping and widespread violence. But Federal Register notices announcing the terminations said country conditions had improved enough.
Recently released internal documents show that DHS decided to terminate protections for Haitians without any input from the State Department.
Citing the documents, which were obtained by the National TPS Alliance in a separate lawsuit, lawyers for the Haitians asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the case and send it back to lower courts. They argued that the justices should first consider the communications before issuing a decision.
Internal emails show that homeland security officials sought a recommendation from the State Department in May 2025, ahead of Noem’s early June deadline on whether to extend protections for Haiti. But by the time Noem signed what appears to be a final decision memo, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had not received input from the State Department, the emails show.
“State recommendation for Haiti TPS has not come in despite of many outreach,” a homeland security deputy assistant secretary wrote in a June 2, 2025, email. A recommendation “would be helpful to have,” the person added.
Eleven days later, a USCIS project manager wrote in an email that Noem “recently elected to terminate Haiti without country conditions from DOS.”
USCIS initially recommended automatically extending protections before Homeland Security decided to terminate them, earlier versions of the memo indicate.
The June decision was blocked by a federal judge. In November, DHS issued another notice terminating TPS protections for Haitians.
That time, according a previously publicized email, a homeland security senior counselor asked a State Department official for the agency’s views on the country conditions in Haiti. The official, Spencer Chretien, didn’t address the country conditions but responded that “there would be no foreign policy concerns.”
Lawyers for the Haitians argued that response didn’t meet the legal standard for a sufficient consultation, though the Trump administration disagreed.
