A federal judge in California on Tuesday struck down the Biden administration’s temporary restrictions on migrants seeking asylum, ruling that the government’s plan to reduce illegal crossings on the southern border violated federal law.

[Federal judge] Tigar granted the government’s request to delay the ruling from taking effect for 14 days to allow time for officials to appeal.

Migrants waiting for appointments in squalid camps in Mexican border cities have been targets for rape and kidnappings for ransom, according to Human Rights First, a nonprofit that has tracked the incidents. Some migrants have been killed.

Lawyers for the Biden administration had told Tigar in court records that overturning the restrictions could have a “chaotic impact” on the border, and that they feared migrants would rush the international boundary and overwhelm the Border Patrol.

Biden administration officials say the rules, in part, contributed to a nearly 42 percent drop in illegal border crossings in June, the first full month the policy was in effect. The Border Patrol made 99,545 arrests last month, the lowest monthly tally since Biden took office.