By ELLIOT SPAGAT
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — In the latest twist for a signature Trump administration immigration policy, a federal appeals court said it is halting a policy next week to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for court hearings in the United States.

But the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said Wednesday that it would only block the “Remain in Mexico” policy in Arizona and California, the two border states where its authority extends.

It comes after the same court halted the policy along the entire southern border on Friday but suspended its own order later the same day after the government warned of dire consequences. “Remain in Mexico” is a key part of the Trump administration’s response to large numbers of people appearing at the border to seek asylum.

The Trump administration says it is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene and had asked the policy to remain in place until next week for the high court to rule.

On Wednesday, the judges said the “Remain in Mexico” policy will no longer be in effect on Mexico’s border with California and Arizona starting March 12. The three-judge panel declined to extend its order to federal court circuits in the two other states that border Mexico — New Mexico and Texas.

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