Trump asks Supreme Court to allow asylum ban

Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The Trump administration on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to enforce an asylum ban for migrants who enter the country illegally.

The court filing came days after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the administration's request to strike down a lower judge's order to block the ban.

The administration called the appeals court's order "deeply flawed."

"The nationwide injunction prohibits the executive branch from implementing an interim final rule adopted to address an ongoing crisis at the southern border, with significant implications for ongoing diplomatic negotiations and foreign relations," Solicitor General Noel Francisco wrote.

In November, Trump signed a proclamation saying only migrants who present themselves to official ports of entry along the Southwest border can claim asylum. Migrants who cross illegally, he said, would be held until deportation.

Administration officials said Trump had the authority to institute the new rule in the same way he had authority to implement a travel ban to people from majority Muslim countries. U.S. law, though, says the government must accept all asylum claims.

Immigration advocates, though, sued the Trump administration over the rules, saying they are illegal and put people's lives in danger.

U.S. District Court Judge Jon S. Tigar of the Northern District of California agreed, implementing a temporary restraining order on the ban, an order the 9th Circuit upheld.

The American Civil Liberties Union, one of the organizations involved in the lawsuit, praised the 9th Circuit's ruling.

"The decision to keep the ban blocked is consistent with the laws made by Congress and will save lives," the organization tweeted.