A federal judge has blocked a controversial asylum policy meant to cut down on the number of migrants illegally crossing the border each month, a key part of President Joe Biden's attempts to curb the flow of migration along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S., who are stuck in a makeshift camp between border walls ... [+]
The policy, announced in February, deters asylum-seeking migrants from entering the U.S. without applying for protection on the way to the border and, without the rules, the Biden Administration has warned illegal crossings will increase and strain government resources, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Judge Jon Tigar criticized the Biden law for being similar to a Trump-era policy he also ruled against, CNN reported.
The Biden Administration is expected to appeal the decision, issued by the California Northern District Court in Oakland on Tuesday, to the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The rule, which keeps migrants who pass through a third country on their way to the U.S. from seeking asylum, was the target of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Immigrant Justice Center and the University of California Hastings Center for Gender and Refugee Studies.
The ruling will not go into effect for 14 days pending a possible appeal.
This is a developing story that will be updated.