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Civil rights groups will challenge Trump's policies on asylum seekers in court

By Nicholas Sakelaris
Soldiers from the 97th Military Police Brigade and 41st Engineering Company work alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Hidalgo, Texas, port of entry. Photo by SrA Alexandra Minor/U.S. Air Force/UPI
Soldiers from the 97th Military Police Brigade and 41st Engineering Company work alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the Hidalgo, Texas, port of entry. Photo by SrA Alexandra Minor/U.S. Air Force/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump's attempt to fast-track a proclamation limiting asylum seekers will be challenged in two federal courts Monday.

Trump gave the order in response to the migrant caravan that's winding its way through Mexico, saying the asylum seekers must present themselves at official ports of entry.

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The East Bay Sanctuary v. Trump lawsuit will challenge the proclamation that requires asylum seekers enter through officials ports of entry. East Bay Sanctuary joined with the ACLU and other groups for the suit. The case will be by a federal judge in San Francisco.

"We seek an injunction to bar the administration's unlawful actions, which will have devastating and life-threatening effects on asylum seekers at the southern border," the East Bay Sanctuary said in a statement. "The Department of Homeland Security has a documented pattern, practice and policy of turning asylum-seekers away from official ports of entry at the U.S. border with Mexico, thus pushing many asylum seekers to cross the border without authorization in order to reach relative safety."

The Justice Department responded saying Trump has "broad discretion to suspend the entry of aliens into the United States."

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"The President has sought to halt this dangerous and illegal practice and regain control of the border," the Justice Department said in a court filing. "The rule and proclamation aim to save lives by discouraging asylum seekers from making dangerous, unlawful border crossings."

The groups also argues that the government didn't give the required 30 days for "notice and comment" to gather public input.

Trump has already deployed thousands of troops to the border and threatened to shut down the government if Congress doesn't approve funding for a wall along the border.

Across the country in Washington D.C., the American Civil Liberties Union will challenge the policy that that migrants fleeing domestic violence or gangs don't qualify for asylum.

The lawsuit titled Grace v. Sessions was filed earlier this year and will be heard in Washington D.C.

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