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🇮🇳 India /Culture & Society

US court strikes down Trump's immigration freeze affecting 39 countries

From Hindustan Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A US federal judge ruled that former President Trump's immigration freeze for 39 countries was unlawful.
  • The decision impacts asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship applications for individuals from affected nations.
  • While India was not on the ban list, the ruling could indirectly affect Indian applicants by influencing broader immigration processing practices.

A US federal judge has struck down former President Donald Trump's immigration freeze, deeming it an unlawful block on benefit decisions for applicants from 39 countries. The ruling by Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, found that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) overstepped its legal authority with these sweeping delays.

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.

— John McConnellJudge McConnell explaining the basis for his ruling that the immigration freeze was unlawful.

The policies, implemented from November onward, placed a pause on processing applications for asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship. The administration had cited national security and vetting concerns as justification. However, Judge McConnell stated that the agency lacked the statutory authority for such blanket pauses, emphasizing that applicants had diligently followed established immigration procedures.

The rule of law has to apply to everyone equally and, as evident here, USCIS has neither ‘followed the law’ nor ‘done things the right way’.

— John McConnellJudge McConnell criticizing the actions of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

"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, according to Reuters. He added that the agency had violated immigration laws and its own administrative procedures, failing to apply the rule of law equally.

Indeed, the agency has violated the very immigration laws that Congress has charged it with administering, as well as the administrative laws that govern the agency’s actions.

— John McConnellJudge McConnell detailing the legal violations by USCIS.

While India was not among the 39 countries targeted by the travel ban, the ruling carries indirect relevance. Given the large number of Indian applicants for various US visas, including work and green cards, the judgment could influence how strictly US authorities can delay or pause applications in the future. The New York Immigration Coalition hailed the decision, calling it a reaffirmation of concerns about discriminatory enforcement in immigration processing.

Every person seeking safety, stability, and opportunity deserves a fair chance to have their case heard under the law.

— Murad AwawdehThe president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition reacting to the court's decision.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Hindustan Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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