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Ruling blocks limits on asylum claims for Central Americans

Posted at 7:57 PM, Jul 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-24 19:57:17-04

A federal judge in California blocked the new Trump administration asylum rule that dramatically limits the ability of Central American migrants to apply for asylum if they enter the United States by land through Mexico.

Hours earlier, another federal judge in Washington DC issued the opposite ruling in a related case and refused to block the new restrictions. Federal District Judge Timothy Kelly, appointed by Trump, said Wednesday that the plaintiffs did not reach the threshold of irreparable damage. The ruling is specific to a temporary restraining order.

The procedures will continue for a preliminary requirement.

"This new rule is probably not valid because it is inconsistent with existing asylum laws," Judge Tigar wrote in California. Tigar, appointed by Obama, previously blocked President Donald Trump's asylum ban.

The failures arrive a little more than a week after the regulation took effect.