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Groups Sue Trump, Attorney General Over Immigration Courts

A new lawsuit accuses President Trump and his attorney general of using their power over immigration courts to systematically deny people asylum.

The case alleges Trump and his associates have turned the courts into a deportation machine that defies immigration law.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

The groups backing the lawsuit all provide legal services. They allege Trump and William Barr have weaponized the system in which they work.

For example, the groups say the government has sped up cases involving migrant families, and at the same time buried others for years in a backlog that has surpassed 1 million.

“The court system, as it’s designed and currently functions, is unlawful. And the president and the attorney general have allowed their anti-immigrant agenda to dictate the way the court system operates,” said Melissa Crow, senior supervising attorney for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Matthew Casey has won Edward R. Murrow awards for hard news and sports reporting since he joined KJZZ as a senior field correspondent in 2015.