A federal judge barred the Trump administration from quickly deporting eight foreign nationals who say they are likely to be persecuted or killed if they’re returned to their home countries, including a family of four fleeing the Taliban. The Justice Department indicated Thursday that one of the prospective asylum seekers, identified only as N.S. in court filings, may already be en route back to Ecuador, where she says her husband — a police officer who she says has raped her, beat her and held her at gun point — might kill her, Politico reports. Lawyers for the asylum seekers say the Trump administration has flagrantly ignored federal laws that require people who have “credible fear” of persecution and violence in their home countries be given a chance to legally seek shelter in the U.S. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss agreed to block deportation of the eight through noon on Monday by issuing an “administrative stay” freezing the status quo until the court can receive more information on the situation. “We are all a little bit in the dark,” Moss said, as he set another hearing on the issue for 9 a.m. Monday.
The judge said he believes the threat that the asylum seekers may be immediately deported warranted his emergency block, since they have a “substantial likelihood” of succeeding in their claims. In addition to N.S. and the family of four — who say they “fear persecution by the Taliban because of their political views and perceived support for the United States” — the asylum seekers include one claiming to flee a cartel in Ecuador, one claiming to flee domestic violence in Brazil and one who claims he was jailed and tortured in Egypt over political views. Moss noted that key details about the circumstances of all eight asylum seekers are unknown, and emphasized there are significant legal limits on district judges’ role in reviewing removal decisions by the administration. Justice Department attorney Brian Ward contended that federal district courts, under immigration laws, have been largely barred from playing a role in stopping removal proceedings. Ward argued that Moss had no authority to intervene at all and even to issue his brief stay. Moss asked the Justice Department to provide him with more details about the eight asylum seekers by Friday at midnight. The emergency request was made in connection with a lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union filed this month that asks the court to put a broader block on Trump’s asylum policy. The Justice Department has moved to dismiss the suit.
Comments