Federal court blocks US immigration restrictions on nationals of 39 nations
A federal judge has struck down a set of immigration restrictions introduced by the Trump administration that affected nationals from 39 countries, ruling that the measures violated US immigration and administrative law. In a landmark decision issued on Friday, Chief US District Judge John McConnell concluded that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had improperly suspended or delayed immigration-related benefits for individuals solely because of their nationality.
The ruling is expected to impact thousands of applicants whose cases had remained unresolved under the policy.
The restrictions were introduced after a shooting incident in Washington, DC, last November involving an Afghan national accused of attacking two members of the National Guard. Following the incident, the administration implemented heightened scrutiny and processing freezes for applicants from a group of countries spanning Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
Judge McConnell said the Government had exceeded its authority by effectively placing applicants into legal uncertainty despite their compliance with established immigration procedures.
In his 135-page order, he criticised the agency for failing to adhere to laws enacted by Congress and the administrative rules governing federal agencies.
“USCIS’s hold on adjudications cannot be attributed to anything that these individuals did wrong; rather, it arises solely by the happenstance of their birth,” the judge wrote.
The court noted that many of those affected had followed all legal requirements for immigration benefits, yet faced prolonged delays or indefinite suspension of their applications. The judge further observed that the principle of equal treatment under the law must apply regardless of an individual’s country of origin.
The Department of Homeland Security had not commented on the ruling at the time of publication. However, legal observers expect the administration to challenge the decision in a higher court and seek an emergency stay to prevent the immediate lifting of the restrictions.
If no stay is granted, immigration applications that were stalled under the policy could resume processing. The outcome of any appeal will likely determine whether the restrictions remain suspended or are reinstated pending further judicial review.
Countries under full suspension: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
Countries under partial suspension: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The decision marks one of the most significant judicial setbacks for the administration’s immigration agenda and is likely to reignite debate over the extent of executive authority in shaping US immigration policy.
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