Rights group sues over Biden rule curbing asylum at US-Mexico border

A group of migrants cross a canal near the U.S.-Mexico border fence as they intend to turn themselves in to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents before the lifting of Title 42, in Tijuana, Mexico May 11, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge Duenes

WASHINGTON — Immigration advocates represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a legal challenge on Thursday, May 11, minutes before a United States regulation restricting access to asylum at the US-Mexico border was set to take effect.

In a motion filed before a federal judge in California, the groups want to re-open an existing lawsuit over similar restrictions implemented by Republican former President Donald Trump and update the case to target the new regulation issued by President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

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The groups said the Biden regulation “dramatically curtails the availability of asylum in the United States” and mirrored similar Trump-era policies blocked in court.

The strict new asylum regulation is a key part of Biden’s strategy to address a possible rise in illegal immigration as COVID-19 restrictions, known as Title 42, ended at midnight on Thursday.

Tens of thousands of migrants have crossed the US-Mexico border illegally in recent days, with some saying they were worried Biden’s new regulation would be more strict.

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