Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow asylum ban

Associated Press
In this Oct. 4, 2018 photo, the U.S. Supreme Court is seen at sunset in Washington. The Supreme Court is avoiding a high-profile case by rejecting appeals from Kansas and Louisiana in their effort to strip Medicaid money from Planned Parenthood over the dissenting votes of three justices. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of a ban on asylum for any immigrants who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

Two federal courts have temporarily blocked the policy President Donald Trump announced in November in response to caravans of migrants that were approaching the border. Last week, the federal appeals court in San Francisco said the ban is inconsistent with federal law and an attempted end-run around Congress.

The administration said in court papers filed Tuesday that the nationwide order preventing the policy from taking effect "is deeply flawed" and should be lifted pending an appeal that could reach the high court.

An American Civil Liberties Union lawyer said the administration's plea to the high court is an effort to short-circuit the normal judicial process.