Migrant mothers, children sue Trump administration, say asylum rules enforced arbitrarily

A coalition of more than 125 migrant mothers and children sued the Trump administration Monday, arguing its enforcement of asylum rules has been capricious and arbitrary, according to Reuters.

While other challenges to the rule have targeted the rule itself, this week’s lawsuit is the first to challenge it on the grounds of how it is being enforced, according to the news service.

{mosads}Lead attorney Hassan Ahmad said the rapid clip at which the administration has rolled out immigration rules have made it impossible for asylum-seekers to be informed which regulations apply to them.

“What we’re challenging is the haphazard lack of legal procedure. There’s no rhyme or reason to it,” Ahmad said, according to Reuters.

The Supreme Court ruled last week that the regulation, which virtually bans seeking asylum at the southern border unless applicants first sought refuge in another country along the way, can take effect while a lawsuit against it is heard.

The plaintiffs in the suit filed Monday, who represent 59 families predominantly from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, were rejected early in the asylum process while detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center, according to Reuters. The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed, without citing data, that most asylum applications are under false pretenses.

A spokesperson for the Justice Department told The Hill it declined to comment.

Updated at 9:55 a.m.