"Great Moral Failure": Civil Rights Groups Chase Trump Against Asylum Claim | American News

Leading human rights groups have filed a lawsuit seeking a federal court to put an end to Donald Trump's ban on asylum seekers at the US border with Mexico because of the violation of the American law.

Starting on Saturday, people fleeing persecution may be excluded from the asylum process if they do not approach the border at designated checkpoints.

The order will remain in effect for at least three months, unless a judge rules in favor of the lawsuit filed in federal court by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Omar Jadwat, director of the ACLU's Immigrant Rights Project, said Trump and his administration were trying to override US law by enacting the ban. "This action undermines the rule of law and is a serious moral failure because it attempts to remove the protections afforded to persecuted people – the opposite of what America should represent," Jadwat said.

The government considers the Bar as an emergency measure to respond to people fleeing violence in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, but this comes after Trump has repeatedly described the desperation of Central Americans as an "invasion" .

The 18-page trial challenges the Trump administration, which says the border is in "crisis". Rather, it describes the significant decrease in the number of illegal crossings made in the early 2000s: 1.25 million fewer people were treated at the southern border in fiscal year 2018. fiscal year 2000.

While Trump administration officials have for many years accused many asylum-seekers of manipulating the system, the trial has indicated that many people seeking refuge are not well informed about the process or know they need to be safe. approach a designated port of entry to apply for asylum.

"Even refugees who know that there are designated arrival ports often do not know where they are and how to find them," the prosecution said.

The complaint also claims that asylum treatment has slowed in recent months, in a way that could put "life at risk" for those seeking refuge.

"The Mexican region near the border with the United States is a particularly violent region with limited law enforcement capacity," the prosecution said. "Rejected asylum seekers from an entry point were raped, beaten, kidnapped and held for ransom by cartel members who were waiting outside."

In a joint statement, the departments of Homeland Security and Justice said the order of the president was legal. "We should not have to go to court to defend the president's clear legal authority or our rights as a sovereign nation, but we will not hesitate to do so," the statement said. "We are convinced that the rule of law will prevail.

"The fact that the ACLU and its partners go to court to take legal action so that foreigners can illegally enter the country shows the contempt of the border community open for the laws of our country that almost all reasonable Americans consider it appalling. "

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the immigrant advocacy groups East Bay Sanctuary Covenant and Al Otro Lado, as well as the Innovation Law Lab and the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles. The lawsuit says the new ban forces these aid groups to divert their resources from badistance and support to people fleeing persecution and violence.

The Bar follows two years of Trump administration efforts to limit legal and illegal immigration to the United States, including targeting the asylum and status application process. refugee.

In June, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered the US immigration courts to no longer grant asylum to victims of domestic violence and gang-related violence.

In August 2017, the Trump administration announced the closure of the Cent American Minors (Cam) program, which allowed people legally in the United States to apply for refugee status or temporary immigration status from their families. children or other eligible family members.

It has also reduced the number of refugee admissions to a record level – making it more difficult for people to seek asylum from their home country instead of pursuing a border case. .