US Judge Rules Against Trump Policies Targeting Immigrants From 39 Travel-Ban Countries A US federal judge ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully barred applicants from 39 travel-ban countries from receiving decisions on asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship. Chief US district judge John McConnell stated that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adopted unlawful policies targeting these individuals, leaving them in “indeterminate legal limbo.” The judge emphasized that the agency violated immigration laws by refusing to adjudicate applications based solely on the applicants’ country of origin.

• A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully blocked immigrants from 39 countries subject to travel bans from receiving decisions on asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship.
• The ruling by Chief US district judge John McConnell found that USCIS adopted a series of unlawful policies targeting these individuals.
• These policies resulted in a hold on processing immigration benefit applications, leaving thousands of immigrants in “indeterminate legal limbo.”
• The judge stated that USCIS violated immigration laws by refusing to adjudicate applications based on the applicants’ country of birth.
• The New York Immigration Coalition applauded the decision, calling the administration’s actions “anti-immigrant malice” and a violation of the rule of law.