A federal judge in Washington struck down a Trump administration policy late Tuesday that bars most Central Americans and other migrants from requesting asylum at the southern border, saying the government failed to justify making the sudden change last July without public notice or comment.

The policy is aimed at blocking Central American migration by requiring asylum seekers from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and elsewhere to first apply for asylum in countries they pass through on the way to the United States, particularly Mexico or Guatemala.

In a 52-page opinion, Kelly said the government based its argument almost entirely on a single newspaper article from October 2018 that suggested when the Trump administration ended its policy of separating immigrant families at the border that year, the proportion of asylum seekers with children increased.

Supreme Court says Trump administration can begin denying asylum to migrants while legal fight continues.

In a tweet, RAICES said, “The Trump admin’s third country transit ban — barring asylum for crossing through a 3rd country — was JUST thrown out effective immediately.

“The court properly recognized that the Trump administration has once again skipped important steps mandated by Congress to ensure transparency and input from the public,” said ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt.

The judge’s ruling for now blocks the Trump administration’s attempt to reverse decades of immigration law by categorically denying asylum to almost anyone crossing the border.

The White House contends that migrants are surging to the southern border with children and filing asylum claims to ease their paths to quick release so they can work in the United States

Under restrictions imposed during the novel coronavirus pandemic, the administration has required nearly 43,000 migrants to wait in Mexico, blocking them from seeking asylum at the southern border

Supreme Court says Trump administration can begin denying asylum to migrants while legal fight continues