Customs and Border Protection officers have been illegally turning away asylum seekers who ask for help at the U.S.-Mexico border for more than a year, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles by several immigrant rights organizations.
Five of the six plaintiffs listed in the federal class action lawsuit said they were turned away at one of San Diego’s two ports of entry, Otay Mesa and San Ysidro. The lawsuit — brought by Al Otro Lado, American Immigration Council and the Center for Constitutional Rights — alleges that officials lied to asylum seekers, and in some cases even coerced them, to keep them from being able to formally apply for asylum.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in San Diego said Wednesday the agency could not comment on pending litigation. The agency has previously defended its handling of asylum seekers, saying the U.S. is following the law.
The cases have been documented since the summer of 2016, well before President Donald Trump took office, according to the lawsuit.