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ACLU Discusses Legal Battle Over Remain In Mexico Policy

People line up to cross into the United States to begin the process of applying for asylum near the San Ysidro Port of Entry in Tijuana, Mexico. President Trump has threatened to close the border to asylum-seekers.
Gregory Bull AP
People line up to cross into the United States to begin the process of applying for asylum near the San Ysidro Port of Entry in Tijuana, Mexico. President Trump has threatened to close the border to asylum-seekers.
ACLU Discusses Legal Battle Over Remain In Mexico Policy
GUEST: Daniel Galindo, staff attorney, ACLU Subscribe to the Midday Edition podcast on iTunes, Google Play or your favorite podcatcher.

Since the end of January, the Trump administration has been returning some asylum seekers coming through the San Ysidro Port of Entry to Mexico while their legal proceedings are conducted in the U.S. court system.

Now the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit to block the new "Migration Protection Protocols" plan, more commonly referred to as the "Remain in Mexico" policy. The lawsuit comes as U.S. authorities have started returning asylum-seeking families to Mexico.

RELATED: U.S. Is Rolling Out Its ‘Remain In Mexico’ Policy On Central American Asylum-Seekers

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So far, 73 people, including 13 children have been sent back, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Part of the ACLU's legal argument is that the Trump administration isn't meeting its legal obligation not to return people to dangerous conditions. But Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said the policy is, “a vital response to the crisis at our southern border.”

Dan Galindo, a staff attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrants Rights Project discusses the ongoing legal battle over the Trump administration's immigration policies.