BORDER/CENTRAL AMERICA/IMMIGRATION/REFUGEES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s efforts to dramatically cut asylum applications were challenged in two federal court hearings on Monday [11-19-18], and the rulings by each judge will ultimately determine how many members of the migrant caravan will be able to enter the U.S. Hundreds of the Central American caravan members have already arrived in the Mexican border city of Tijuana, prompting U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on Monday to temporarily close all vehicle lanes and half the pedestrian lanes at the San Ysidro Port of Entry to install additional concrete barriers and concertina wire to prevent a rush of people trying to enter illegally. But the two judges — who did not issue any immediate rulings — will decide whether caravan members will be able to legally request asylum, a right written into U.S. law and international conventions the U.S. is party to. The Trump administration has taken unprecedented steps in recent months to challenge those rules, cutting back on who can apply and how they can apply.”
–Alan Gomez, “President Donald Trump’s efforts to limit asylum challenged in federal courts,” USA Today, November 19, 2018 4:54 pm