The Humanitarian Respite Center in downtown McAllen has been nearly empty since the start of the Trump administration. 

The center, run by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, helped hundreds of asylum seekers per day after they’ve been processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In January, President Donald Trump issued a ban on asylum claims, effectively closing the border to those seeking humanitarian protections.

A federal appeals court recently ruled the Trump Administration must allow people to apply for asylum if they're fleeing persecution and torture.

However, the government can continue to deny asylum claims.

“I'm glad that that can still be an option for families who really need protection,” Catholic Charities of the RGV Executive Director Norma Pimentel said.

In Matamoros, an asylum hopeful from Haiti welcomed the news. He said he is still working with an attorney to be able to enter the U.S. legally.

The migrant, whose identity is being concealed to protect him, said he still has family in Haiti, and two of his cousins were killed by violence in the capital Port au Prince.

The migrant said conditions are not safe to live and work there. He said tried scheduling a time to enter the U.S. legally through the CBP One app in January, but the smartphone app was shut down by the Trump Administration.

Channel 5 News reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for comment on the federal ruling. DSHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin responded with the following statement in full:

“The D.C. Circuit’s ruling in no way requires DHS to restart catch and release. It will be a cold day in hell before the Trump Administration starts releasing illegal aliens at the border as the last administration did. We will continue to fight to restore integrity to our immigration system and to crack down on the rampant asylum fraud that the last administration allowed.”

Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, an expert on organized crime in Mexico, said despite the ruling, she believes Mexico will be pressured by the Trump administration to have migrants wait in Mexico if they're asking for asylum at the border with the U.S.

Watch the video above for the full story.