SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration has quietly shut down the nation’s asylum system for the first time in decades amid the coronavirus.

The U.S. has used an obscure public health law to justify one of its most aggressive border enforcement tactics ever.

People seeking refuge in the U.S. are whisked to the nearest border crossing and returned to Mexico without a chance to seek asylum.

The government has temporarily swept aside decades-old national and international laws, saying holding people in custody is considered too dangerous.

A congressional aide tells The Associated Press that the U.S. has expelled more than 7,000 people in less than two weeks.