A Washington, D.C. federal judge just shattered President Trump’s aggressive deportation push, ruling that all illegal migrants in the U.S. must be allowed to apply for asylum, even if it derails his campaign promise to ramp up deportations and secure the border.

The ruling, delivered by Obama-appointed Judge Randolph Moss, orders the Trump administration to halt its policy denying asylum claims from those who enter illegally, forcing ICE to either release migrants or detain them for years while claims are processed, draining federal resources and flooding courts already buried in backlogs.

It also demands the administration “provide relief” to migrants who have already been deported but now wish to return and claim asylum, a move that border hawks warn could explode the migrant influx.

The decision clashes with Trump’s January proclamation to “Guarantee the States Protection Against Invasion,” which allowed for rapid deportations without asylum hearings unless migrants presented themselves legally at ports of entry. Judge Moss, however, argued that decades-old asylum laws passed by Congress override Trump’s order, stating, “An appeal to necessity cannot fill that void.”

Trump officials slammed the ruling as “judicial insurrection.” Gene Hamilton, a top ally of Trump’s immigration czar Stephen Miller, said: “A single district court judge wants to override the Constitution, hundreds of years of precedent, and the plain text of the law to say the U.S. can’t stop illegal aliens from flooding across the border. This cannot stand.”

The ruling was spurred by lawsuits from left-wing legal groups and 13 illegal migrants, with the judge certifying a broad class action that effectively covers anyone who has crossed illegally or plans to do so in the future. This maneuver sidesteps the Supreme Court’s recent limit on nationwide injunctions by using class action as a workaround to apply the order universally.

Critics say the ruling will revive the Obama-era “catch and release” policies that saw millions released into the U.S. while awaiting asylum hearings, incentivizing further illegal migration and overwhelming local resources. They warn it will lower wages, strain housing, and crowd schools and hospitals as millions take advantage of the open door.

Meanwhile, the administration is preparing an appeal while seeking regulatory workarounds, but border security advocates say unless overturned, the ruling could trigger a new migration wave right before the 2026 midterms, setting up a political and security crisis at the border.

Trump’s allies are calling on Congress to intervene, demanding urgent legislative fixes to counteract the ruling and arguing that open-border activists and the judiciary are working hand-in-hand to dismantle U.S. sovereignty.

As the legal fight intensifies, this battle will define the future of Trump’s immigration agenda—and the security of America’s borders.