The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow the government to deny asylum to Central American migrants who don’t first try to get refuge in Mexico before coming to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Federal courts in California had blocked the Trump administration rule from going into effect because it argued the administration didn’t follow proper procedure with the implementation. Four immigrant-rights groups are suing to block the move, claiming it would cause “untold harm” to immigrant families, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In the Supreme Court application on Monday, Solicitor General Noel Francisco said the rule is necessary to alleviate the “crushing burden” caused by an uptick in asylum seekers at the U.S-Mexico border.
“(The rule) deters aliens without a genuine need for asylum from making the arduous and potentially dangerous journey from Central America to the United States,” he said Monday.
The move comes just days after the Trump administration announced its plan to indefinitely detain undocumented families while they work their way through immigration court. The administration argued the prolonged detention would likely serve as a deterrent to illegally crossing the border.
