Immigration advocacy groups on Monday sued the Trump administration over its ban on asylum access at the southern border, saying the sweeping restrictions illegally put people who are 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.