(MENAFN) A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday halted President Donald Trump’s initiative to curtail asylum at the nation’s southern border.

U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that neither the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) nor the Constitution endows the president or his administration officials with "the sweeping authority asserted in the Proclamation and implementing guidance. An appeal to necessity cannot fill that void.”

He acknowledged the significant difficulties faced by the Executive Branch in stopping and discouraging illegal entries into the United States, as well as managing the substantial backlog of asylum applications submitted by those already inside the country.

However, Judge Moss emphasized that the INA “provides the sole and exclusive means for removing people already present in the country,” underscoring that the president’s approach exceeded the legal framework.

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor, responded to the ruling on X, criticizing the judge’s decision: “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.”

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