Asylum move challenged

US President Donald Trump issued a proclamation yesterday to deny asylum to migrants who enter the country illegally, tightening the border as caravans of Central Americans slowly approach the US-Mexico border. The plan was immediately challenged in court.

Trump invoked the same powers he used last year to impose a travel ban that was upheld by the Supreme Court. The new regulations are intended to circumvent laws stating that anyone is eligible for asylum no matter how he or she enters the country.

About 70,000 people a year who entered the US illegally claimed asylum, officials said.

‘‘We need people in our country, but they have to come in legally,’’ Trump said.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other legal groups swiftly sued in federal court in northern California to block the regulations, arguing that the measures were illegal. ‘‘The president is simply trying to run roughshod over Congress’s decision to provide asylum to those in danger regardless of the manner of one’s entry,’’ said ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt.

Trump’s announcement was the latest push to enforce a hardline stance on immigration through regulatory changes and presidential orders, bypassing Congress. But those efforts have been largely thwarted by legal challenges and, in the case of family separations this year, a global outcry.

Officials said the asylum law changes were meant to funnel migrants through official border crossings for speedy rulings. But the busy ports of entry already have long lines and waits.

The US Border Patrol says it apprehended more than 50,000 people crossing illegally in October, setting a new high this year, though illegal crossings are well below historical highs from previous decades.

Trump this week suggested he would revoke the right to citizenship for babies born to non-US citizens on American soil, and erect massive ‘‘tent cities’’ to detain migrants.