(UnitedVoice.com) – President Joe Biden’s border crisis has become like an anvil on the neck of his presidency. Millions of migrants have poured across the border since he took office, many seeking asylum. To combat the problem, he tried to strengthen asylum rules, but a federal judge has now put a wrench in his plans.
In February, the Biden administration announced new rules requiring asylum seekers to seek protection in other countries before coming to the US. They made it nearly impossible for someone to receive protection if they entered the country illegally. Critics pointed out that the courts struck down the same rules during former President Donald Trump’s administration. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued to stop them from taking effect.
On July 25, US District Court Judge Jon Tigar struck down the rule. According to The Hill, he stated that the administration essentially banned noncitizens from receiving asylum despite the fact that US law allows them to apply no matter where they cross the border. He said basing the decision on whether they presented “at a port of entry” or whether they were “denied protection in transit conflicts with the unambiguous intent of Congress.”
Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary, issued a statement saying the administration “strongly disagree[s]” with Tigar’s ruling. He said they are “confident” the “rule is lawful.”
Katrina Eiland, the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project’s deputy director, argued the case and said afterward that the decision was a win. However, she stated that every day the administration fights to keep the plan in place, those who are coming to the country for a safe space “are instead left in grave danger.” She went on to say that America is supposed to “serve as a beacon of freedom and hope,” and Biden’s admin should try to “fulfill this promise” instead of perpetuating policies to the contrary.
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