U.S. Federal Judge Blocks Trump-Era Asylum Restrictions at Southern Border

U.S. Federal Judge Blocks Trump-Era Asylum Restrictions at Southern Border

A U.S. federal judge has issued a ruling halting former President Donald Trump’s plan to impose stricter limits on asylum claims at the southern border, declaring that the move exceeded presidential authority under U.S. law.

In a decision delivered Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss stated that the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the U.S. Constitution do not grant the president—or his administration—“the sweeping authority asserted in the Proclamation and implementing guidance.”

“An appeal to necessity cannot fill that void,” Moss emphasized, directly rejecting the administration’s justification for bypassing existing asylum procedures in the name of national security and immigration control.

While acknowledging the complex and pressing challenges the U.S. government faces, particularly in managing unauthorized border crossings and addressing the massive backlog of asylum cases, Judge Moss made clear that the executive branch is still bound by law.

“The Court recognizes that the Executive Branch faces enormous challenges in preventing and deterring unlawful entry into the United States and in adjudicating the overwhelming backlog of asylum claims of those who have entered the country,” he wrote. “But the INA, by its terms, provides the sole and exclusive means for removing people already present in the country.”

The decision immediately drew sharp criticism from Stephen Miller, a former White House senior advisor and key architect of Trump’s immigration policies. In a post on social media platform X, Miller denounced the ruling, claiming it effectively grants legal protections to individuals outside the U.S. “To try to circumvent the Supreme Court ruling on nationwide injunctions, a Marxist judge has declared that all potential FUTURE illegal aliens on foreign soil (e.g., a large portion of planet Earth) are part of a protected global ‘class’ entitled to admission into the United States,” Miller wrote.

The ruling is seen as a significant blow to efforts to restrict asylum access through executive action and is expected to be challenged in higher courts, potentially setting up another legal showdown over immigration policy in the U.S.

Source: aa.com.tr