A federal judge on Wednesday ruled that President Donald Trump's plan to crack down on asylum claims overstepped his authority.
Immigrant rights groups filed a lawsuit over Trump's January declaration of an "invasion" at the southern border, arguing that the administration unlawfully overriding immigration and asylum procedures set by the Immigration and Nationality Act., or INA.
U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled this week that the Constitution does not "grant the president or his delegees authority to adopt an alternative immigration system" despite Trump's proclamation, and determined that the president does not have "the unilateral authority to limit the rights of aliens present in the United States to apply for asylum."
Moss wrote: "The court recognizes that the executive branch faces enormous challenges in preventing and deterring unlawful entry into the United States and in adjudicating the overwhelming backlog of asylum claims of those who have entered the country. But the INA, by its terms, provides the sole and exclusive means for removing people already present in the country."
"This ruling means that asylum will once again be available for those fleeing horrific danger and in doing so reaffirms that the president must respect the laws Congress enacts," said Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union who argued the case, in a statement. "The decision will literally mean the difference between life and death for many families escaping religious and other forms of persecution."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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