A new law is set to be published in the Federal Register today that practically eliminates applications from asylum seekers at the southern US border, requiring them to apply for refugee status in another country first.

In yesterday’s announcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice stipulated that, unless an applicant for asylum can prove that they already applied for protective status in a third country before arriving in US territory, they will be ineligible.

The American Civil Liberties Union immediately announced it would challenge the law. And in a statement senior director of migrant rights and justice at the Women’s Refugee Commission Michelle Brané said, “Like the previous travel and asylum bans, this is the latest attempt by President Trump to try to undermine and eliminate asylum by circumventing both Congress and existing law. Seeking asylum is a legal right. Seeking safety is a human right.”

This crisis-turned-catastrophe at the border is occurring in the context of the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the “Stay in Mexico” policy, where migrants are left to wait in overcrowded and often unsafe and unsanitary conditions in Mexican border cities, waiting months for a meeting with US officials to apply for asylum.

And while Mexico has improved its asylum system, it does not have the necessary resources or infrastructure to handle such a massive humanitarian and financial crisis, which makes it an unsafe and unviable alternative for refugees and migrants seeking international protection. Until a US court makes a decision on the law, however, migrants who don’t fit this new narrow category of eligibility will be left in limbo. On Monday, Mexico's Secretary of Foreign Relations advised the U.S. that it will not stand as a Safe Third Country for refugees and asylum seekers looking for protected status in the US.

Chicago-based civil rights and immigration attorney Christina Abraham told me that the new law was “unsurprising”, in a phone call yesterday afternoon. She went on to explain: “This [new law] isn’t making immigration more efficient; they want to make things less efficient. If you process fewer people, then you grant fewer asylum applications.”

Ilhan Omar urges America to not 'take the bait' in response to Trump's racist tweets

Taylor Levy, an immigration attorney and legal coordinator at the El Paso non-profit Annunciation House explained that, “The Trump administration is attempting to unilaterally override long-existing statutes and international treaty obligations via administrative rulemaking, in direct contradiction of the law. The published rule will almost certainly be quickly enjoined by the courts, but only after causing panic and confusion among desperate people who have fled their home countries and arrived at our borders seeking asylum.”

The announcement by DHS comes on the heels of two other racist dramas the president instigated: the first being Trump’s bull-headed attempt to circumvent the US Supreme Court’s limited ruling to block the citizenship question on the 2020 Census. The second was his vitriolic Twitter outburst on Sunday, where he told four freshman Congresswomen of color that they should “go back to where they came from”.

Trump thrives on his own spectacularly manufactured chaos and distractions — from the threats of government shutdowns, to Twitter showdowns, his long lists of acting cabinet members, the escalation of rhetoric with China and Iran, and his embracing of dictators. The President likes to put on a show and Americans are watching whether they like it or not.

Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Show all 30 1 /30 Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Members of the Proud Boys, a fascist group, jeer at anti-Trump protesters outside of the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A supporter dressed as Uncle Sam poses at Uncle Sam Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A baby blimp rears its head amidst a group of anti-Trump protesters outside the president't campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam President Trump addresses supporters at the launch event of his 2020 election campaign in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Proud Boys have adopted Fred Perry polo shirts as their uniform and 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Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A Proud Boy shouts across the police line at anti-Trump protesters outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A Trump supporter poses for a photo at the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A Proud Boy jeers at anti-Trump protesters who are separated from the president's supporters by a police line outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A man dressed as Uncle Sam poses at President Trump's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam An anti-Trump protester faces off against a supporter outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AFP/Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Members of the Proud Boys, a fascist group, jeer at anti-Trump protesters outside of the president's 2020 campaign launch Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A child holds a 2020 US "dollar bill" that features Donald Trump's face at the president's 2020 campaign launch EPA Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Anti-Trump protesters rally outside the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Anti-Trump protesters rally outside the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Numerous baby Trump balloons are raised in protests outside of the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A supporter wears a T-shirt depicting Trump as a hero at the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Reuters Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam President Trump addresses supporters at the launch event of his 2020 election campaign in the Amway Centre in Orlando, Florida AFP/Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam An anti-Trump protester calls for the president to be impeached outside the launch event for his 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida Getty Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam Supporters of Donald Trump face off against protesters outside of the president's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AP Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A baby blimp rises behind a group of anti-Trump protesters outside the president's campaign launch in Orlando, Florida AP Trump 2020 launch: Fascist Proud Boys, baby blimps and Uncle Sam A supporter dressed as Uncle Sam poses at President Trump's 2020 campaign launch in Orlando, 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