Judge blocks series of Trump policies halting immigration processing |
Judge blocks series of Trump policies halting immigration processing
A federal judge on Friday vacated a series of President Trump’s policies enacted in the wake of a deadly attack on National Guard members, forcing immigration agencies to again process applications from citizens of nearly 40 countries.
In the days surrounding last Thanksgiving, Trump barred the processing of any immigration application for those from 39 travel ban countries, halting the ability to get green cards and leading to widespread cancellation of naturalization ceremonies.
He also put a stop to the processing of asylum claims from any country and ordered a review of all immigration benefits bestowed to those from the 39 travel ban countries under former President Biden.
Rhode Island-based U.S. District Judge John McConnell found all of the actions were unlawful.
“More than six months ago, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (‘USCIS’) enacted a series of policies that threw the lives of countless immigrants living in the United States into indeterminate legal limbo,” McConnell wrote in the 135-page ruling.
“USCIS’s hold on adjudications........