The U.S. Supreme Court announced on Tuesday that it will hear arguments in a case brought by the Trump administration seeking to deny asylum to Nigerian citizen Izuchukwu Ozurumba. Ozurumba was forced to work as a cook for a militant group in Nigeria known as the Unknown Gunmen, which U.S. officials have classified as a terrorist organization.
Legal background
The Justice Department appealed a lower‑court ruling that found cooking for the group did not constitute “material support” under the immigration statute that bars entry for individuals who have engaged in terrorist activity. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, had ruled in September 2025 that Ozurumba was a captive laborer and his cooking did not qualify as material support, though it declined to order his return to the United States.
Case details
According to court filings, Ozurumba took a job in 2022 after a tip led him to a remote camp outside Lagos. He later discovered the camp was run by the Unknown Gunmen, a group linked to separatist movements. He observed that the group’s movements coincided with reports of murders and arson, and he was forced to stay without pay. After six months, he escaped during a supply run, fled to Venezuela, and eventually crossed the southern U.S. border illegally in July 2023, where he applied for asylum.
During the Biden administration, an immigration judge deemed the Unknown Gunmen a terrorist organization and ruled that Ozurumba’s cooking made him inadmissible, denying him protection from deportation. He was deported back to Nigeria last year while his appeal was pending.
Administration’s position
The Trump administration argues that allowing the lower‑court decision to stand would “substantially increase the burden on the government in excluding aliens with links to terrorism.” The Justice Department told the Supreme Court that providing meals to a terrorist organization is no less a material form of support than providing gasoline for its vehicles.
Potential impact
The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments and issue a decision by the end of June. A ruling in favor of the administration could expand the scope of activities considered material support, affecting future asylum and immigration cases involving individuals who performed seemingly non‑combatant roles for designated terrorist groups.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
