Judge states Trump exceeded legal authority with asylum restrictions

(MENAFN) A federal court has halted a controversial measure aimed at curbing asylum applications at the US southern border, delivering a legal setback to President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, according to reports.

The ruling, issued Wednesday by a district court in Washington, D.C., found that the administration exceeded its legal authority by attempting to implement sweeping changes to asylum policy without congressional approval. The judge concluded that neither existing immigration law nor the US Constitution provides justification for the proposed restrictions.

"Neither the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) nor the Constitution grants the president or his administration officials 'the sweeping authority asserted in the Proclamation and implementing guidance. An appeal to necessity cannot fill that void,’” the judge stated in the ruling.

While acknowledging the immense difficulties federal authorities face in addressing unauthorized border crossings and processing the growing number of asylum applications, the judge emphasized that US immigration statutes already clearly define how removal procedures must be conducted.

“But the INA, by its terms, provides the sole and exclusive means for removing people already present in the country,” the decision added.

The legal challenge targeted a policy aimed at disqualifying most migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border from seeking asylum, a move that sparked widespread criticism from advocacy groups and legal experts.

In response, a senior administration official criticized the decision on social media, accusing the judiciary of overreach. “To try to circumvent the Supreme Court ruling on nationwide injunctions a marxist judge has declared that all potential FUTURE illegal aliens on foreign soil (eg a large portion of planet earth) are part of a protected global ‘class’ entitled to admission into the United States,” the official wrote.

The ruling marks a significant development in the broader legal battle over the Trump administration’s approach to immigration and border enforcement.

MENAFN03072025000045017281ID1109755934