Immigration advocacy groups are suing the Trump administration, saying they are illegally shutting down asylum access at the southern border and putting people fleeing war and persecution in harm’s way.

WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union, along with immigration legal aid groups, Monday filed the first major lawsuit against the Trump administration’s proclamation of an “invasion” at the southern border to justify expelling migrants and preventing them from claiming asylum.

The lawsuit, presented in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges Trump's effort to unilaterally ban access to asylum is "unlawful as it is unprecedented" because it overrides Congress' authority. The suit is joined by three immigrant rights groups.