Federal Court Again Blocks Trump-Era Asylum Transit Ban
SAN FRANCISCO 鈥 A federal court has again blocked a Trump administration ban that categorically denied asylum to anyone at the southern border who had transited through a third country en route to the United States, with very limited exceptions.听
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The lawsuit, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Barr, was filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union and Center for Constitutional Rights. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar issued today鈥檚 ruling granting a preliminary injunction. It is the third time a district court has blocked the ban.
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The following comments are from:听
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Melissa Crow, senior supervising attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center鈥檚 Immigrant Justice Project: 鈥淭hankfully, the court has blocked the previous administration鈥檚 11th-hour attempt to resurrect the asylum transit rule. Following this decision, the countless men, women and children who would otherwise have been deemed ineligible for asylum should finally have the opportunity for a hearing on the merits of their asylum claims.鈥
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Katrina Eiland, managing attorney with the ACLU鈥檚 Immigrants鈥 Rights Project: 鈥淭his ruling is yet another rebuke of the Trump administration鈥檚 attempt to make an end-run around asylum protections enacted by Congress.鈥
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Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights: 鈥淭he court rightly rejected the Trump administration's cruel, last-ditch effort to destroy our asylum system. We expect the Biden administration to engage quickly and meaningfully to repair the vast harm the Trump administration imposed on vulnerable immigrants and this country's commitment to human rights.鈥
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The case was brought on behalf of the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Al Otro Lado, Innovation Law Lab, and the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles.
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Ruling available HERE.听
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