US President Donald Trump has lashed out at a judge for blocking his policy of sending asylum seekers to Mexico to await court hearings in their cases.
“A 9th Circuit judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants,” he tweeted. “So unfair to the US.”His policy would have returned migrants back over the border while they sought a legal right to stay in the US.
The legal defeat comes as migrant numbers at the US-Mexico border surged to their highest since 2008.
Mr Trump was said to be livid after US immigration officials estimated border apprehensions in March had topped 100,000.The San Francisco ninth district judge’s order on Monday against the migrant policy is not due to go into effect until this Friday.
The White House said in a statement on Tuesday it would appeal the decision.
“This action gravely undermines the president’s ability to address the crisis at the border with the tools Congress has authorised and disrupts the conduct of our foreign affairs,” the White House said in a statement.
“We intend to appeal, and we will take all necessary action to defend the executive branch’s lawful efforts to resolve the crisis at our southern border.”
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which implements Mr Trump’s immigration directives, is in turmoil following a major shake-up.DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen quit on Sunday after being summoned to the White House by the president.
This was followed by the resignation of the agency’s acting deputy secretary, Claire Grady, on Wednesday. Ms Grady was legally supposed to take over from Ms Nielsen.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley called on Mr Trump on Monday to halt the leadership purge at the DHS.
The senior senator told the Washington Post he was “very, very concerned” about reports of possible further dismissals.
