The Latest: Judge considers extending block on asylum ban

WASHINGTON — The Latest on asylum lawsuits before U.S. judges (all times local):

3:45 p.m.

A U.S. judge in San Francisco appears likely to extend his order blocking the Trump administration from enforcing a ban on asylum for any immigrants who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

Judge Jon Tigar noted at a hearing on Wednesday that he and an appeals court have already weighed in on the case. He said all the questions before the court have been resolved twice.

Tigar previously blocked the ban for 30 days. He is now deciding whether to keep the ban on hold pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging it. The lawsuit could take months to resolve.

Tigar said he would issue a decision by the end of the day.

At issue is President Donald Trump’s Nov. 9 proclamation that barred anyone who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border between official ports of entry from seeking asylum. The administration argued that caravans of migrants approaching the southern border made the new restrictions immediately necessary.

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10 a.m.

A federal judge has blocked restrictive Trump administration policies that prevented some immigrants from seeking asylum due to domestic and gang violence in their home countries.

U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan ruled on Wednesday that some of the guidance that then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued this year cannot be used to determine whether an immigrant has a credible fear of persecution or torture in his or her home country. That’s the first step to making an asylum claim in the U.S.

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the government over the policy.

The ruling applies to immigrants in expedited removal proceedings. The judge also ordered the government to return any of the deported plaintiffs back to the U.S. and prevent their deportation.

The Associated Press