The Latest: Judge blocks asylum policy at US-Mexico border

WASHINGTON – The Latest on court rulings over the Trump administration’s new asylum restrictions (all times local):

7:30 p.m.

A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing new asylum restrictions for people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

Wednesday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco came hours after a judge in Washington decided to let the rules stand while lawsuits played out in court.

The policy would prevent most migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they passed through another country first.

It targets tens of thousands of Central Americans who cross Mexico every month to try to enter the U.S. It also would affect asylum seekers from Africa, Asia and South America who arrive regularly at the southern border.

Legal groups argued the proposal was barred by federal law establishing how people can seek asylum.

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7:40 a.m.

A federal judge says the Trump administration can enforce its new restrictions on asylum for people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border while lawsuits challenging the policy play out.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington has refused to grant a temporary restraining order. Another hearing on a similar suit is scheduled later Wednesday in California.

Kelly says the immigrant advocacy groups that sued didn’t prove that their work would be “irreparably harmed” if the policy went into effect.

The proposal prevents most migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they passed through another country first.

It targets the tens of thousands of Central American adults and children who cross Mexico every month to try to enter the U.S. It also would affect asylum-seekers from Africa, Asia, and South America.