Judge blocks ‘third country’ asylum rule

A federal judge in San Francisco on Wednesday halted a new Trump administration asylum policy just hours after another federal judge in Washington let the nine-day-old rule stand. The policy says that to seek asylum at the U.S. border, migrants who pass through another country along the way must first apply for protection there. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar halts the new regulations while the lawsuit plays out in court.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said Thursday that Tigar was purporting “to dictate immigration policy to the entire nation” and represents the “tyranny of a dysfunctional system.” She added that President Donald Trump will “pursue all available options to address this meritless ruling and to defend this nation’s borders.”

Tigar halted another Trump policy last year to deny asylum to people who crossed the border illegally.