BORDER/COURTS/IMMIGRATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A federal appeals court on Friday [8-16-19] handed the Trump administration a partial victory in its quest for an asylum ban, appearing to clear the way for imposing it along the border in New Mexico and Texas, at least temporarily. While the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld a lower court’s decision to block the ban, it narrowed the nationwide injunction to the 9th Circuit, which encompasses district courts in the border states of Arizona and California. But the panel also said in a related order that the asylum ban, implemented in July, likely violated federal regulatory law because it was issued without an adequate period for public comment. President Donald Trump and his top aides have argued that many asylum seekers arriving at the border lack valid claims to protection. As a result, the administration has sought to restrict access to asylum through a range of experimental policies. The latest asylum clampdown came in the form of a fast-track regulation issued in mid-July that barred migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. if they first passed through another nation without seeking protection.”
–Ted Hesson, “Trump scores partial win on asylum ban as court narrows injunction,” Politico, August 16, 2019 2:01 pm