Federal judge ruled Trump administration unlawfully barred applicants from 39 countries from receiving asylum, green card and citizenship decisions.
2:09 PM
A federal judge in Rhode Island on Friday blocked a series of Trump administration measures that prevented federal officials from granting asylum, green cards and other legal immigration benefits to applicants from 39 countries.
Chief US District Judge John McConnell in Providence ruled that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had adopted unlawful policies targeting people from African, Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern nations. The 135-page opinion found the sweeping limits on legal immigration benefits to be arbitrary and capricious, contrary to federal law.
One of the invalidated policies had halted all legal immigration applications filed by citizens of 39 countries on President Trump's so-called "travel ban" list. The administration restricts travel from those countries on grounds that their nationals are too difficult to properly screen.
The Trump administration adopted the measures late last year on national security grounds, following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. The policies barred applicants from receiving decisions on asylum, work permits, green cards and citizenship applications.
The ruling came on the same day the US Senate voted to pass legislation to fund Trump's controversial immigration crackdown. An Afghan man who was brought to the U.S. in 2021 and granted asylum in 2025 has been charged in connection with the shooting incident that prompted the administration's policy shift.
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.
A federal judge in Washington halted sanctions imposed on Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on Palestinian territories, citing First Amendment violations.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols ruled Thursday against temporarily blocking the March 31 executive order restricting voting by mail.
A federal court blocked the fund temporarily; the DOJ said it will comply with the ruling despite disagreeing with it.
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.
