East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, et al. v. William Barr, et al.

As part of its ongoing war on the nation’s asylum system, the Trump administration declared migrants who travel through a third country before reaching the U.S.-Mexico border are ineligible for asylum. The SPLC filed a federal lawsuit challenging this most recent attempt to ban asylum.

The lawsuit, filed in San Diego, charges the administration with violating the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. It was filed on behalf of East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Al Otro Lado, Innovation Law Lab and the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection already has a widespread practice and policy of turning back individuals who attempt to seek asylum at ports of entry, which the SPLC has challenged with earlier lawsuits.