Appeals court blocks Trump asylum suspension order

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A federal appeals court on Friday blocked President Donald Trump's executive order suspending asylum access at the southern border, dealing a significant blow to a cornerstone of the Republican president's immigration crackdown strategy, according to LEX 18 News.

A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that immigration laws explicitly grant people the right to apply for asylum at the border, and the president cannot circumvent that statutory authority. The panel concluded that the Immigration and Nationality Act does not authorize the president to remove asylum seekers under procedures of his own making or to suspend their right to apply for asylum.

"The power by proclamation to temporarily suspend the entry of specified foreign individuals into the United States does not contain implicit authority to override the INA's mandatory process to summarily remove foreign individuals," wrote Judge J. Michelle Childs, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden.

The majority opinion also found that the administration cannot curtail procedures for adjudicating anti-torture claims, which protect migrants from deportation to countries where they face persecution or harm. Judge Cornelia Pillard, nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, joined the majority.

Judge Justin Walker, a Trump appointee, issued a partial dissent, arguing that the law permits broad denials of asylum applications. However, he agreed with the majority that the president cannot deport migrants to countries where they face persecution or strip away mandatory removal procedures.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged the executive order, hailed the decision as essential for asylum seekers. "The appellate ruling is essential for those fleeing danger who have been denied even a hearing to present asylum claims under the Trump administration's unlawful and inhumane executive order," ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said in a statement.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The ruling represents one of several legal challenges facing the Trump administration's immigration policies as courts continue examining the constitutional limits of executive power over asylum procedures.