Late Monday, a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s recent policy to deny immigrants asylum after entering the U.S. illegally and not through the official ports of entry.
Earlier in the month, President Donald Trump issued a new policy barring migrants from claiming asylum if they jumped the border. But several legal groups immediately sued claiming that the U.S. immigration law clearly states that migrants can seek asylum even if they enter illegally.
“Individuals are entitled to asylum if they cross between ports of entry,” said Baher Azmy, a lawyer for the Center for Constitutional Rights, a group that is part of the lawsuit.”It couldn’t be clearer.”
Officials from Homeland Security and the Justice Department defended the policy.
“It is lawful and appropriate that this discretionary benefit not be given to those who violate a lawful and tailored presidential proclamation aimed at controlling immigration in the national interest,” said the spokespersons for the agencies.
Then this week, Judge Jon Tigar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled in favor of the opposition barring the Trump administration’s efforts to halt the influx of illegal immigration.
“Whatever the scope of the President’s authority, he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden,” said Tigar, a nominee of former Obama administration.
This ruling places a temporary restraining order on the policy until Dec. 19.
The Department of Homeland Security estimates that about 70,000 migrants a year claim asylum after jumping the border illegally.
Trump issued the policy after thousands of migrants arrived in Tijuana, Mexico, across the border from San Diego, California. Then a collection of migrant caravans quickly started to form at the border. Homeland Security estimates that 10,500 migrants are camped along the border.
“Some caravan members have told reporters they plan to ask for asylum in the U.S., saying they’re fleeing domestic abuse or lack of jobs back home.
But they have refused Mexico’s offers of asylum and their claims sound more like those of traditional illegal immigrants than of asylum-seekers, who are supposed to be fleeing government persecution because of race, religion, political beliefs or something along those lines,” writes The Washington Times. “Instead, it appears many of the caravan’s members are counting on being able to exploit the asylum system to make unsubstantiated claims, then use them to gain a foothold in the U.S. where they will disappear into the shadows with the 11 million other illegal immigrants already here.”
So far, 107 people who have claimed asylum after entering an official port of entry have been detained since the order went into effect.
“Our asylum system is overwhelmed with too many meritless asylum claims from aliens who place a tremendous burden on our resources,” said the acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen in a joint statement.
So the Trump administration issued the asylum crackdown. But now liberal groups are trying to derail these plans.
Author’s note: This judge was appointed by Obama and like most California judges has a vendetta against the president. Unfortunately, immigrants take advantage of the asylum law and the president is trying to stop an invasion. At the rate the migrants are collecting at the border, we could have 10’s or 100’s of thousands of people crowding our border. It could be a humanitarian nightmare and hundreds or thousands could die. This policy was put in place in an attempt to stop the masses from crowding the border.