A Rhode Island judge canceled Trump administration policies that halted asylum applications and immigration processing for people from 39 countries.
3:33 PM
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to resume processing immigration and asylum applications after finding that policies enacted last fall had violated legal standards.
Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of Rhode Island issued a 135-page decision canceling a batch of the administration's immigration policies. The ruling found that the policies had left immigrants in the United States in "indeterminate legal limbo" because of what the judge characterized as "anti-immigrant sentiments that it is forbidden from letting influence its decision-making."
The policies in question included a global pause on asylum applications filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and a halt on decisions regarding immigration applications from people from 39 countries covered by a travel ban. The pause prevented applicants from those nations from obtaining permanent residency status.
According to the judge's decision, the policy to stop processing immigration applications from the 39 countries "placed the lives of countless individuals on hold -- solely by virtue of their countries of birth." The ruling requires the administration to restart the processing of these applications and asylum requests.
Federal judge ruled Trump administration unlawfully barred applicants from 39 countries from receiving asylum, green card and citizenship decisions.
The court heard arguments Wednesday on revoking Temporary Protected Status for Syrians and Haitians as part of broader immigration agenda.
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy for immigrants violates due process rights.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ruled Thursday against temporarily blocking the March 31 executive order restricting voting by mail.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the administration is drawing up plans to stop processing international flights in cities with sanctuary laws, citing protests at an ICE detention facility in New Jersey.
US District Judge Waverly Crenshaw ruled the Trump administration's prosecution was vindictive, finding the case would not have been brought absent Abrego Garcia's successful challenge to his wrongful deportation.
