A federal court today blocked the administration’s asylum ban after several immigration advocacy organizations, including the Tahirih Justice Center, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
Judge Jon Tigar struck down the policy, though delayed the ruling from taking effect for fourteen days. The Tahirih Justice Center is one of the plaintiffs in this lawsuit.
In response to the court’s decision, Charlotte Gillingham, Litigation Counsel at Tahirih Justice Center, said the following:
“Today’s ruling affirms every person’s legal right to safely seek asylum and protection in the United States and is a victory for those dedicated to the creation of a humane immigration system. We are grateful that, with this decision, Judge Tigar affirmed what we already knew to be true: this asylum ban is contrary to law and puts immigrant women, girls, and all survivors of gender-based violence at a higher risk of danger along our southern border. The Court’s decision today is an important step toward ensuring that survivors of gender-based violence, and all immigrants fleeing persecution, are able to exercise their right to seek asylum with dignity and fairness and without fear of being sent back into harm’s way.”