A federal judge has struck down a series of Trump administration policies that halted the processing of asylum claims, green card applications, work permits, and citizenship requests for immigrants from dozens of countries, handing the White House a significant setback in its effort to tighten immigration controls.
Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell ruled Friday that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unlawfully suspended immigration benefit applications for individuals from 39 countries covered by President Donald Trump’s expanded travel restrictions. The judge found every single policy violated federal immigration law and improperly targeted applicants based on nationality.
The ruling vacates two USCIS policies implemented late last year that effectively froze immigration processing for thousands of applicants from countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The policies affected asylum applications, employment authorization requests, green card petitions, and naturalization applications.
Judge Says Agency Exceeded Its Authority
McConnell concluded that USCIS lacked legal authority to suspend processing solely because applicants came from countries covered by the administration’s travel restrictions.
According to the ruling, federal immigration law does not permit the agency to treat nationality as a blanket basis for denying or delaying immigration benefits. The judge found that the policies left thousands of immigrants in legal limbo despite complying with existing immigration procedures and statutory requirements.
The court also determined that the administration failed to follow required administrative procedures when implementing the policies and unlawfully departed from standards established by Congress.
Policies Targeted Travel-Ban Countries
The challenged policies were adopted by USCIS beginning in late 2025 following the administration’s expansion of its travel-ban framework.
One policy directed immigration officers to treat nationality from a travel-ban country as a significant negative factor when reviewing applications. Another halted processing of numerous immigration benefits for applicants from the affected countries altogether. The administration argued the measures were necessary to improve vetting and address national security concerns.
The freeze ultimately applied to applicants from 39 countries subject to full or partial travel restrictions imposed by the administration.
Immigrant Groups Challenged the Restrictions
The lawsuit was filed by immigrant service organizations, labor unions, and affected applicants who argued that the administration had effectively created a nationality-based immigration system not authorized by federal law. They contended the policies unlawfully delayed or blocked benefits for people who otherwise qualified under existing statutes.
Immigration advocates hailed Friday’s decision as a major victory, arguing that immigration applications must be evaluated individually rather than subjected to blanket restrictions based on a person’s country of origin.
Administration Likely to Appeal
The Trump administration is expected to appeal the decision.
Officials have consistently defended the policies as part of broader efforts to strengthen screening procedures and enhance national security. The White House has argued that the executive branch possesses broad authority to regulate immigration and impose additional scrutiny on applicants from countries deemed security risks.
Unless an appellate court intervenes, USCIS will now be required to resume processing immigration applications that had been frozen under the challenged policies. The decision could affect thousands of pending cases involving asylum seekers, immigrants seeking permanent residency, applicants for work authorization, and individuals pursuing U.S. citizenship.
The ruling marks the latest in a series of court defeats for some of the administration’s most aggressive immigration initiatives and sets up another legal battle over the scope of presidential authority in immigration policy.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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