On Tuesday, US District Judge Ton Tigar of the Northern District of California blocked asylum rules that Pres. Biden’s administration adopted after COVID-related restrictions ended in May.
The order, which says that authorities can’t continue denying migrants asylum if they arrive at the US-Mexico border without previously applying online or seeking protection in a country they passed through, won’t take effect immediately so the administration can appeal.
The harsh restrictions the Biden administration has been placing on migrants are illegal, and the admin. knew this because the same judge rejected similar restrictions during the Trump era. Continuing to fight in the courts to keep these restrictions in place puts thousands of families in grave danger, so the White House should drop its case immediately.
Biden’s asylum policy has been a key driver in reducing the number of illegal border crossings and taming the southern border. The rule is legal because — unlike the Trump-era rule — this policy allows for some exceptions for people showing up at the border without adhering to it and offers multiple legal pathways to obtain asylum before arriving at the border. This fined-tuned immigration policy is worth fighting for.