Federal Appeals Court Upholds Block on Port-of-Entry Asylum Ban
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court has upheld a block on the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict asylum applications to ports of entry.
The lawsuit, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Trump, was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Constitutional Rights, and Southern Poverty Law Center.
U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar issued a preliminary injunction in December 2018, prompting the administration’s appeal.
ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, who argued the appeal, had this reaction to today’s ruling: “Once again the courts have recognized there is tremendous danger facing asylum seekers along the entire southern border, and that the administration cannot unilaterally rewrite the laws.”
The case was brought on behalf of the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Al Otro Lado, Innovation Law Lab, and the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles.
Ruling: https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/east-bay-sanctuary-covenant-v-trump-ninth-circuit-ruling
Case details: https://www.aclu.org/cases/east-bay-sanctuary-covenant-v-trump
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court has upheld a block on the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict asylum applications to ports of entry.
The lawsuit, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Trump, was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Constitutional Rights, and Southern Poverty Law Center.
U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar issued a preliminary injunction in December 2018, prompting the administration’s appeal.
ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt, who argued the appeal, had this reaction to today’s ruling: “Once again the courts have recognized there is tremendous danger facing asylum seekers along the entire southern border, and that the administration cannot unilaterally rewrite the laws.”
The case was brought on behalf of the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Al Otro Lado, Innovation Law Lab, and the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles.
Ruling: https://www.aclu.org/legal-document/east-bay-sanctuary-covenant-v-trump-ninth-circuit-ruling
Case details: https://www.aclu.org/cases/east-bay-sanctuary-covenant-v-trump
Stay Informed
Every month, you'll receive regular roundups of the most important civil rights and civil liberties developments. Remember: a well-informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.
The Latest in Immigrants' Rights
ACLU's Vision
The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America.
Learn More About Immigrants' Rights

The fundamental constitutional protections of due process and equal protection embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights apply to every person, regardless of immigration status.