US appeals ruling that would lift asylum restrictions

By MORGAN LEE
Associated Press

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The U.S. government says it will appeal a court ruling that would lift asylum restrictions that have become the cornerstone of border enforcement. The Homeland Security Department said Wednesday it would file an appeal with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, challenging a November ruling that ordered the Biden administration to lift the Trump-era restrictions. But there was no indication that the appeal would scuttle a Dec. 21 deadline set by a federal judge to end asylum restrictions that have been used to expel asylum seekers. The rule first took effect in March 2020, denying migrants rights to seek asylum on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.