How to file a civil lawsuit against the Obama administration: the basics

By NICHOLAS KAMM/APA fileBy NICHON WOODRUFF/APC/APAn attorney in Oregon says the federal government has illegally and unconstitutionally denied asylum to a transgender woman who is seeking asylum in her home state.

The ACLU of Oregon filed a lawsuit Monday against the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) seeking an injunction against the administration.

The lawsuit claims that the ACLU’s suit is not an attempt to seek a permanent injunction, which would prevent the administration from enforcing its policy of refusing to take action against the woman.

Instead, the ACLU wants the court to declare the ACLU has standing to file the suit, and it needs the court’s permission to file.

The suit comes a day after President Donald Trump signed a sweeping immigration executive order that made it easier for people with asylum applications to be denied entry into the United States.

In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday, the White House said the executive order “does not create a new right or obligation for the U (US) to protect an individual from persecution or detention.”

The ACLU’s lawsuit comes as Trump’s administration is expected to issue a major new executive order aimed at rolling back several of his policies and making it easier to deport immigrants and asylum seekers.

The Trump administration said in January that it would roll back protections for transgender individuals and women, as well as expand deportation priorities.