Judge Jon S. Tigar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California today issued a preliminary injunction blocking the implementation of a new rule that went into effect on July 16 that prohibited processing asylum cases within the United States if immigrants did not first file an application in another country.
The Judge Tigar's decision means that the U.S. government must continue to accept asylum applications from eligible immigrants even if they have not filed an asylum application prior to arriving in the United States.
Judge Tigar's ruling came hours after federal Judge Timothy J. Kelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an oral ruling refusing to stay the new rule.
Judge Tigar's order prevents the restriction from being applied indefinitely while the litigation is being resolved.
Judge Kelly was appointed to the position by President Donald Trump. Judge Tigar was appointed to the position by President Barack Obama.
