Judge orders halt to Trump-era asylum restrictions at border

By ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the Biden administration to lift Trump-era asylum restrictions that have been a cornerstone of border enforcement since the beginning of COVID-19. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled Tuesday in Washington that “Title 42” authority must end immediately for families and single adults. He said the regulation, aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 under public health legislation, violates federal rule-making procedures. His ruling conflicts with another decision in May by a federal judge in Louisiana that the asylum restrictions remain in place. Migrants have been expelled from the United States more than 2.4 million times since Title 42 took effect in March 2020.