A US federal judge has blocked an order issued by President Trump to deny asylum to migrants crossing the southern US border illegally.
The order was signed by Trump earlier this month in response to the migrant caravan moving towards the border, citing national issues concerns.
US District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco issued the temporary restraining order after hearing arguments The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Center for Constitutional Rights.
In his ruling, the judge said current legislation made it clear that any foreigner arriving in the US “whether or not at a designated port of arrival” could apply for asylum.
“Whatever the scope of the president’s authority, he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden,” Judge Tigar added.
Thousands of migrants from across Central America have been travelling north for weeks towards the US-Mexico border. They say they are fleeing persecution, poverty and violence in their home countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
In the run-up to the US mid-term elections, President Trump said many of the migrants were criminals, called the caravan an invasion, and ordered troops to the border. He also repeatedly suggested it was politically motivated.
The judge’s restraining order comes into immediate effect and remains in place until a court hearing in December to decide on the case.
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