Supreme Court appears divided on cross-border shooting by US agent - Supreme Court hears border shooting case as Trump's travel ban awaits

The Supreme Court expressed sympathy Tuesday for the family of a Mexican teenager fatally shot from across the U.S.-Mexico line by a Border Patrol agent, but struggled to reach consensus on whether foreign nationals – like the teen's relatives – can sue in American courts. The divisions were on display during oral arguments for what has become a closely watched case, amid an escalating political debate in Washington over border security. The arguments were held the same day the Department of Homeland Security released new directives on immigration enforcement, and after a lower federal court blocked a separate executive action from President Trump on immigration and refugee restrictions. Apart from renewed interest in the court's consideration of immigration disputes, the case heard Tuesday also could have implications for other U.S. government actions taken overseas -- including military drone strikes against suspected terrorists, and electronic surveillance over the Internet. In the current dispute, 15-year-old Sergio Hernandez was just steps from the border on Mexican soil when he was killed in 2010 by Jesus Mesa Jr., an agent standing on the American side in El Paso, Texas. The federal agent was not prosecuted, and the U.S. refused to extradite him to Mexico.