A federal appeals court has allowed the Trump administration to keep the “Remain in Mexico” policy in place in Texas and New Mexico while it prepared for a challenge by the Supreme Court.
However, the ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco prevents the government from enforcing the policy unless the Supreme Court intervenes before March 12. The court said its decision last week to block to the policy will remain in effect for California and Arizona, as both states are under its jurisdiction.
The ruling gave the government more time to fight its legal battle to save the policy, but also means asylum seekers and migrants arriving at border points in California and Arizona will be allowed to await the outcomes of their cases in the United States. The appellate court last week upheld a lower court injunction stopping the policy, by which tens of thousands of asylum seekers remain in Mexico to await their U.S. hearings.
