Illegal migrants who enter U.S. through southern border can’t be deported, judge tells Trump

A federal judge barred the Trump administration on Monday from refusing asylum to immigrants who cross the southern border illegally, abcnews has reported.

The medium reports that a U.S. District Judge Jon S. Tigar issued the temporary restraining order after hearing arguments in San Francisco.

The request was made by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Centre for Constitutional Rights, which quickly sued after President Donald Trump issued the ban this month in response to the caravans of migrants that have started to arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump issued a proclamation on November 9 that said anyone who crossed the southern border would be ineligible for asylum.

The (Trump) regulations, which will remain in place for three months if no one challenges them and stops them via a court order, could potentially make it harder for thousands of people who enter the U.S. to avoid being deported.

“Individuals are entitled to asylum if they cross between ports of entry,” said Baher Azmy, a lawyer for the Centre for Constitutional Rights. “It couldn’t be clearer.”

In recent years, tens of thousands of immigrants each year have shown up in the Arizona desert or on the north bank of the Rio Grande in Texas, surrendered to immigration agents and requested asylum.

The Department of Homeland Security estimates around 70,000 people a year claim asylum between official ports of entry.

Trump has argued that the recent caravans are a threat to national security.