Immigrant rights attorneys will argue before U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant of the Southern District of California on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. PDT/1:00 p.m. EDT, urging the court to permanently end and declare unlawful the Trump-era policy that turned back tens of thousands of asylum seekers at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border, denying them access to the U.S. asylum system.

The case, Al Otro Lado v. Mayorkas, was brought by Al Otro Lado, a bi-national advocacy and legal aid organization, and a group of 13 individuals seeking asylum in the United States whom government officials turned away at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border through metering and other tactics. They are represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights, Southern Poverty Law Center, American Immigration Council, and the law firm of Mayer Brown.

In briefs filed ahead of the hearing, the plaintiffs’ attorneys argue that U.S. law, the Constitution, and international legal principles require that asylum seekers must be inspected and processed when they arrive at ports of entry. The motion also emphasizes that asylum seekers have been seriously injured, raped, and even killed after Customs and Border Protection officials turned them back to Mexico.

You can listen to the argument by dialing in to (888) 557-8511 — the Access Code is 6968297. When prompted, enter the access code followed by the pound sign (#). All lines will be muted.