US asks court to end asylum limits, with a short delay

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Tensions remain high at the U.S-Mexico border amid uncertainty over the future of restrictions on asylum-seekers. The Biden administration on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court not to lift the limits before Christmas. The U.S. government made its plea in a filing a day after Chief Justice John Roberts issued a temporary order to keep the pandemic-era limits on migrants in place. The restrictions had been slated to expire Wednesday. The federal government acknowledged that ending the restrictions will likely lead to “disruption and a temporary increase in unlawful border crossings.” But the government asked the court to reject efforts by a group of conservative-leaning states to maintain a measure that allows officials to expel many but not all asylum-seekers.