A group of lawyers who served in past GOP administrations, as well as many high-ranking former Republican officials, said in a Supreme Court filing that President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE's attempted asylum ban is illegal.

The lawyers and officials argue that the "government is simply wrong" in its position that the Trump administration can enforce the policy under federal asylum law.

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BuzzFeed News first reported on the friend-of-the-court brief on Monday night, noting that it was filed by several officials who held high positions in places such as the FBI and Department of Justice.

The former director of the FBI and CIA, William Webster, and two former acting attorneys general, Peter Keisler and Stuart Gerson, were among those that filed the brief. The brief was filed by nine others, including former DOJ official and Supreme Court advocate Carter Phillips.

BuzzFeed noted that its signatories included Ray LaHood, a former Republican member of Congress and Todd Whitman, an EPA chief in the Bush administration.

"The relevant provision of federal asylum law begins with the command that '[a]ny alien' who crosses the southern border illegally outside 'a designated port of arrival ... may apply for asylum,'" the Republican brief, which was written by Richard Bernstein, said. "The Attorney General’s regulation is inconsistent with the plain text and meaning of [that law]. That should be the end of the matter."

The Trump administration has attempted to institute a policy that would prohibit migrants from claiming asylum if they enter the southern border outside of ports of entry. A federal judge put the policy on hold before Thanksgiving.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals then denied the Trump administration's effort to delay a judge's order blocking enforcement of the asylum policy earlier this month.

The developments led the Department of Justice to ask the Supreme Court to place the injunction on hold on Dec. 11 while a challenge from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) proceeds, according to BuzzFeed News.