A federal judge struck down a new asylum policy on Tuesday that government officials called essential to controlling the southern border, dealing a blow to the Biden administration’s plan that has been met with a sharp drop in illegal immigration in recent months.
The law, which has been in effect since May 12, does not allow many people to apply for asylum if they have crossed into the United States without receiving an appointment at an official port of entry or proof that they seek legal protection in another country along the way.
Immigrant advocacy groups suing the administration say the policy violates US law and increases migrants’ vulnerability to slaughter and violence during long waits at Mexican border towns. They also say it mimics the Trump administration’s asylum ban that was blocked in 2019 by the same judge, Jon S. Tigar, of the United States District of the Northern District of California.
Judge Tigar stayed the order for 14 days, granting a request by the Biden administration to give him time to appeal.
The Biden administration introduced the asylum law in May, when it lifted a public health measure, known as Section 42, under which people crossing illegally are immediately deported. Since then, the number of migrants apprehended at the southern border has decreased: In June, fewer than 100,000 people were apprehended, the lowest number since February 2021.
| Daily News Post