Policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico has day in court
By Augie Martin, Geneva Sands and Priscilla Alvarez, CNN
Updated 5:33 PM ET, Fri March 22, 2019
... In February, a coalition of immigrant advocacy groups asked a federal judge for a restraining order that would block the Trump administration from forcing asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while their cases make their way through the immigration courts.
Eleven migrants who are seeking asylum in the United States and were returned to Mexico under the policy are also plaintiffs in the case. Some attended their first hearing in removal proceedings at the San Diego immigration court this week ...
In court documents, the administration has argued that "the executive branch has broad discretionary authority" over whether to bring deportation proceedings against people unlawfully in the US and enacted this policy to "combat the serious problems at the southern border" ...
"While the Trump administration continues to double down on this policy by expanding its implementation, the irreparable harm it causes is clear," said Melissa Crow, senior supervising attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center, in a statement. "Every moment it is in place, it jeopardizes the lives and well-being of vulnerable asylum seekers and makes it virtually impossible for them to present their cases in court. It is inhumane and unlawful" ...
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/22/politics/migrant-protection-protocols/index.html
