SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The Trump administration's policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico will face scrutiny from a U.S. judge in San Francisco.

Judge Richard Seeborg has scheduled a hearing Friday to help him decide whether to block the policy while a lawsuit moves forward. He's not expected to rule immediately.

The lawsuit by civil liberties groups claims the policy violates U.S. law by failing to adequately evaluate the dangers that migrants face in Mexico.

It also accuses the administration of depriving migrants of their right to apply for asylum by making it difficult or impossible to prepare their cases.

The administration says the policy is in response to a crisis at the southern border that has overwhelmed the ability of immigration officials to detain migrants.

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