UPDATE - US Rights Groups Plan Lawsuits To Halt Trump's Border Wall Emergency

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th February, 2019) Several advocacy groups announced on Friday that they will file lawsuits to put an end to the national emergency US President Donald Trump declared to build a wall on the US southern border.

Earlier in the day, Trump signed a national emergency declaration to free up $8 billion in US Federal funds to install 234 miles' worth of steel barriers along the country's 1,950-mile border with Mexico.

"We will be filing a lawsuit next week," the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Executive Director Anthony Romero said in a statement. "This is a patently illegal power grab."

The ACLU will argue that Trump's decision is unprecedented and not allowed under the emergency powers he invoked to issue the declaration, Romero added.

"We are suing to stop the #FakeTrumpEmergency," the Public Citizen advocacy group said in a statement on Twitter. "If Trump gets away with this, there's no telling what the next concocted 'emergency' will be, who will be targeted and what emergency powers will be claimed."

The Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR), based in the Texas border town of El Paso, said in a press release it will file a lawsuit against Trump's national emergency declaration.

"BNHR believes this action is based on distortion of our border and that this declaration will cause unrepairable harm to communities at the border," the group said in the press release.

The BNHR will be represented by Protect Democracy and Niskanen Center, the release said.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that Democrats would review their options and will be prepared to respond appropriately to Trump's move. US Congressman Joaquin Castro said in a statement he would introduce a measure to block Trump's national emergency declaration.

On Thursday, Congress passed a funding bill that included only $1.375 billion of the $5.7 billion Trump had requested to build a border wall. Trump is expected to sign the bill on Friday or Saturday in order to avert another partial federal government shutdown. The last shutdown lasted a record 35 days and ended just a few weeks ago.