Trump appeals asylum ban to Supreme Court

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court Tuesday to allow him to enforce a ban on granting asylum to illegal immigrants, after suffering two lower court setbacks.

The Justice Department told the high court that the ban, announced by Trump on November 11, needed to be enforced immediately to deter thousands of Central Americans now at the US southern border from crossing into the country illegally in search of asylum.

“These measures are designed to channel asylum seekers to ports of entry, where their claims can be processed in an orderly manner; deter unlawful and dangerous border crossings; and reduce the backlog of meritless asylum claims,” read the petition, filed in Trump’s name.

Eleven days after Trump announced the controversial action, US District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco issued a temporary restraining order against its implementation, while the full case faces legal challenges.

Human rights groups argue that the order violated the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which states that any foreigner who arrives in the US, “whether or not at a designated port of arrival,” may apply for asylum.

The Justice Department appealed the restraining order. But on Friday an appeals court sided with the lower court against enforcement, saying Trump’s ban was at odds with existing law. — AFP