Officials from the Trump administration are staunchly defending the President’s recent executive order aimed at curbing asylum claims at the U.S.-Mexico border. This move has sparked significant legal debate and drawn fierce opposition from several civil rights organizations.

On Tuesday, representatives from the administration presented their arguments before a panel of judges from the D.C. Court of Appeals. They were countering efforts by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other advocacy groups, including the National Immigrant Justice Center and the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, who are seeking a permanent injunction to prevent the executive order from taking effect.

Previously, another appeals panel had lifted a lower court’s order, thereby permitting the administration to enforce the asylum restrictions while the legal proceedings continued to unfold.

In their defense, administration officials cited the 212(f) proclamation. This legal provision grants the President the authority to restrict the entry of certain migrants under specific conditions. They argued that the situation at the southern border, which they described as an “invasion,” justified the denial of asylum protections.