Supreme Court to hear asylum case of Nigerian cook accused of supporting terrorists

The US Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to hear a bid by President Donald Trump’s administration to deny asylum to a Nigerian man who was forced to prepare meals for an apparent separatist group. The case, which centers on Izuchukwu Ozurumba, could expand what officials may deem terrorist activity under American immigration law.

The justices took up the Justice Department’s appeal of a lower court’s ruling in favor of Ozurumba. He was denied US asylum due to his work cooking for a group known as the Unknown Gunmen, which US officials considered to be a terrorist organization. The lower court ruled that cooking did not qualify as "material support" for terrorism under the immigration statute. The Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments and rule in the case by the end of June.

Background of the Case

According to court papers, Ozurumba took a van to a remote camp outside of Lagos in 2022 following a job tip. He eventually learned the camp was run by the Unknown Gunmen, a group likely associated with Nigerian separatists. His lawyers stated in a court filing that Ozurumba soon "observed that the young men’s movements from the camp coincided with news reports of murder and arson." They added that he sought to leave but was forced to stay without pay.

After six months, Ozurumba escaped while on an outing for supplies and made his way back to Lagos. His lawyers said he then faced beatings and threats of death, prompting him to flee to Venezuela, where the threats continued. He traveled to the southern US border and entered the country illegally in July 2023, eventually applying for asylum and other protections from deportation.

Legal Disputes Over Material Support

During the administration of former President Joe Biden, an immigration judge deemed the Unknown Gunmen a terrorist organization. The judge found that Ozurumba’s cooking for the group rendered him inadmissible and denied him protections from deportation. The judge concluded that the cooking helped the group accomplish its goals by satisfying their "basic human needs," and that it was irrelevant that he had worked under duress.

Ozurumba was deported back to Nigeria last year while his case was on appeal. However, the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals sided with Ozurumba in September 2025. The court ruled that he was a captive laborer and his cooking did not constitute material support. The majority opinion stated that his work "provided nothing that the organization could use or readily divert to plan or carry out its terrorist activities," though the court declined to order the government to return him to the US while the case proceeds.

The Trump administration appealed this decision to the Supreme Court. In its filing, the Justice Department argued that if the lower court’s ruling were allowed to stand, it would "substantially increase the burden on the government in excluding aliens with links to terrorism." The administration stated, "Providing meals to a terrorist organization’s members is no less a material form of support than providing gasoline for its vehicles."

Ozurumba’s attorneys argued that there is no circuit split for the Supreme Court to resolve. They wrote, "No federal court has adopted the government's rule, under which any interaction with a terrorist organization, no matter how attenuated or inconsequential, qualifies as ‘material’ support."

Why it matters

The case centers on whether Ozurumba’s work for the group fell under provisions of US immigration law that bar the entry of non-US citizens who have "engaged in a terrorist activity," including actions that provide "material support" for such activity or "to a terrorist organization." The outcome could influence how broadly the definition of material support is applied in future immigration cases involving individuals who provided basic services to groups designated as terrorist organizations.

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Sources

• devdiscourse.com: US Supreme Court to hear asylum fight involving Nigerian cook
• internazionale.it: US Supreme Court to hear asylum fight involving Nigerian cook - Internazionale
• bozemandailychronicle.com: Supreme Court will review asylum case of Nigerian man who cooked meals for terrorist leaders
• ottumwacourier.com: Supreme Court will review asylum case of Nigerian man who cooked meals for terrorist leaders | National News | ottumwacourier.com
• eagletribune.com: Supreme Court will review asylum case of Nigerian man who cooked meals for terrorist leaders | Region | eagletribune.com

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.