U.S. court overturns Trump's legal immigration restrictions

A U.S. federal court has nullified immigration restrictions enacted under President Donald Trump, ruling them illegal. The decision by Judge John McConnell of Providence, Rhode Island, targeted measures by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that had impeded legal immigration processes.

The restrictions affected citizens from 39 nations across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. According to the ruling, these individuals were prevented from obtaining timely decisions on their applications for asylum, work permits, green cards, or citizenship. A coalition of immigrant and labor organizations had challenged these policies in court.

Judge McConnell, appointed by former President Barack Obama, stated that the USCIS policy had placed countless immigrants, who were already legally in the U.S. and following congressional procedures, in an indefinite legal limbo. He asserted that the agency's failure to process their applications was based solely on their country of origin, not on any applicant's shortcomings, underscoring that the rule of law must apply equally to everyone.

The ruling also referenced a statement by former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who had reportedly suggested to Trump the exclusion of nationals from countries deemed to be sending criminals and welfare recipients to the U.S. This policy led to the suspension of green card processing and asylum decisions for citizens of numerous countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Chad, Venezuela, Cuba, and Turkmenistan, and also shortened work permit durations for many foreign workers.

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πλήρη αποκλεισμό υπηκόων από χώρες που, κατά την ίδια, «πλημμύρισαν το έθνος με εγκληματίες και εξαρτώμενους από κοινωνικά επιδόματα»