Tue Feb 04 00:03:15 UTC 2025: **Immigrant Rights Groups Sue Trump Over Asylum Ban**

Washington, DC – A coalition of immigrant rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging President Donald Trump’s ban on asylum claims. The lawsuit alleges that Trump’s executive order, issued on his second inauguration day, violates both US law and international treaties by barring asylum seekers from entering the country.

The plaintiffs argue that the order, titled “Guaranteeing the States Protection Against Invasion,” oversteps the President’s constitutional authority and contradicts the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which allows individuals fleeing persecution to seek asylum in the US. They also cite the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees as a basis for their challenge.

Trump’s proclamation cited national security concerns, the potential spread of communicable diseases, and an alleged “overwhelmed” southern border as justification for the ban. His administration has repeatedly framed undocumented immigration as an “invasion.”

The lawsuit, which names four organizations as plaintiffs, contends that returning asylum seekers to countries where they face persecution or torture is directly contrary to US law and its international obligations. The groups involved include the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, the Texas Civil Rights Project, RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Service), and the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project.

This is the latest in a series of legal challenges against Trump’s hardline immigration policies, which have also targeted increased immigration enforcement, the expansion of expedited removal processes, and the ending of funding for legal services for detained immigrants. A previous attempt by Trump to end birthright citizenship was swiftly blocked by a federal judge. The ACLU and other groups have vowed to continue challenging what they view as unlawful and unconstitutional policies. The lawsuit’s success will depend on the courts’ interpretation of the President’s authority in this matter and the extent to which his actions conflict with existing legislation and international agreements.

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