NOT SO FAST

Federal Judge Halts Trump Administration Effort to Block Asylum Claims

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting a Trump rule that would require migrants to apply for asylum outside of the U.S.

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration’s effort to effectively bar asylum seekers by forcing them to apply outside of the U.S., The New York Times reports. U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar ordered the Trump administration to continue accepting asylum claims and issued a preliminary injunction halting the new rule just hours after another federal judge in Washington let it stand. The rule would require asylum seekers on the southern border to apply for asylum in Mexico, and potentially other countries, before applying to the United States. Only victims of human trafficking or those denied asylum elsewhere would be allowed to apply for U.S. asylum. “This new rule is likely invalid because it is inconsistent with the existing asylum laws,” Tigar wrote in his ruling. Tigar’s ruling blocks the policy from being implemented until it can be debated further.