WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A federal judge in San Francisco has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's plan to restrict asylum claims by illegal immigrants.
In a ruling issued late Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar accused the Trump administration of trying to rewrite immigration laws by limiting asylum claims to legal ports of entry.
'Whatever the scope of the President's authority, he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden,' Tigar wrote.
Tigar claimed the restrictions would put asylum seekers at 'increased risk of violence and other harms at the border' and deprive many of meritorious asylum claims.
The judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said the temporary restraining order will take effect immediately and remain in effect until a hearing on a permanent ban on December 19th.
The restrictions proposed by Trump in the lead-up to the midterm elections earlier this month came as caravans of thousands of Central American migrants headed toward the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump's plan to restrict asylum claims as well as his decision to deploy thousands of U.S. troops to the border have been criticized as a political stunt.
The lawsuit challenging the asylum restrictions was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of several nonprofits.
'This ban is illegal, will put people's lives in danger, and raises the alarm about President Trump's disregard for separation of powers,' said ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, who argued the case.
'There is no justifiable reason to flatly deny people the right to apply for asylum, and we cannot send them back to danger based on the manner of their entry,' he added. 'Congress has been clear on this point for decades.'
The move by Trump was expected to draw legal challenges, as current law allows immigrants to claim asylum anywhere on American soil.
A report from Politico said the Justice Department did not immediately say whether it plans to appeal Tigar's ruling but noted the DOJ has challenged similar orders in the past.
(Photo: Gage Skidmore)
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