ACLU sues Trump over day one executive order ending asylum
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued President Donald Trump on Monday over his day one executive order ending asylum for border crossers, saying that it contradicts congressional legislation and is unconstitutional.
“Via the Immigration and Nationality Act (‘INA’), Congress has created a comprehensive statutory system allowing noncitizens fleeing persecution or torture to seek protection in the United States,” the group wrote in the suit filed on behalf of nonprofit organizations that provide services to illegal immigrants.
“Congress has given these individuals statutory rights to apply for asylum and other protections. And it has prohibited the government from returning these individuals to places where they face persecution or torture,” the filing went on.
Trump's order was part of an effort to end a flood of illegal border crossings that led to millions of migrants remaining in the U.S. to wait for years until their asylum hearings after the Remain in Mexico protocol was ended by former President Joe Biden.
Trump's order stated that 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, similarly to Title 42, allows migrants to be sent outside the U.S. for public health or safety reasons.
Trump has declared a national emergency over the border crossings.