Judge allows Trump’s third-country asylum ban to proceed temporarily

A D.C.-based federal judge Wednesday ruled that a Trump administration ban on asylum seekers who pass through another country en route to the southwest border can go forward on a temporary basis. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly denied a motion filed by immigrant legal service providers to block the policy’s implementation. In a ruling issued from the bench, Kelly said the plaintiffs had not proved they would suffer “irreparable harm” as a result of the asylum ban. While Kelly acknowledged the policy could have “far-reaching and significant effects,“ he found that plaintiffs failed to demonstrate sufficient harms to halt the regulation. The decision provides a short-term win for President Donald Trump, who has sought to diminish the flow of Central American migrants arriving at the border by toughening the asylum process. The administration issued a fast-track regulation last week that bars asylum for migrants who pass through other nations and do not seek refuge in those places...MORE