A labor union representing thousands of U.S. asylum officers asked a federal appeals court to block the Trump administration's "Remain in Mexico" policy. Asylum officers enforce the rule, and their union says it's endangering migrants.
The policy forces some migrants to stay in Mexico for months or even years while they wait for their U.S. immigration hearing. Its legal standing is being reviewed in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU and other plaintiffs.
In a brief filed Wednesday supporting the plaintiffs in that case, the union argued that the policy doesn't mesh with "America's longstanding tradition of providing a safe haven to people fleeing persecution."
The officers say the world needs the U.S. to act as a safe haven more than ever as it experiences another "wave of displacement." But government lawyers have previously said ending the program would hurt the government's ability to manage the influx of migrants at the southern border.
