The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website] filed a lawsuit [complaint, PDF] against US Attorney General Jeff Sessions [official website] Tuesday over a June memo that tightened restrictions for asylum seekers.

The ACLU has followed the case of five women and children who were seeking asylum from Central America and were quickly denied. They allege that the US Government broke the law by no longer allowing asylum claims for individuals fleeing domestic or gang violence.

[The June memo] misstates or mischaracterizes multiple aspects of asylum law, seeking to heighten the asylum standards and increase the burden on asylum seekers to prove eligibility. Defendant Sessions specifically opined that, based on the newly articulated standard, few claims pertaining to domestic of gang violence by non-governmental actors would qualify for asylum or satisfy the credible fear standard.

The main plaintiff is currently being held in a detention center in Texas.