A US federal judge has invalidated a Trump-era immigration freeze that had paused final decisions on green cards, work permits, asylum claims and naturalisation applications for people from 39 countries.
The ruling is a major setback for a policy that had left thousands of applicants in uncertainty while their cases remained pending at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
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US judge rules Trump administration unlawfully blocked immigration applications, including asylum, work permits, green cards and citizenshship, from people in 39 travel-ban countries. Court says USCIS used illegal blanket holds, leaving applicants waiting months.#USImmigration pic.twitter.com/K5wOeMQhTs
— The Migrant Channel (@migrantchannel) June 6, 2026
A judicial rap upon the knuckles
US District Chief Judge John McConnell Jr. of Rhode Island issued the decision on Friday, according to the Associated Press.
In the 135-page order, he vacated four USCIS policies, including the Benefits Hold Policy, the Global Asylum Hold Policy, the Comprehensive Re-Review Policy and the Country-Specific Factors Policy.
The court found that USCIS lacked the authority to impose such sweeping restrictions on immigration benefits.
🚨 NOW: Stephen Miller demands the US SUPREME COURT intervene ASAP after Rhode Island activist Judge John McConnell UNILATERALLY BLOCKED President Trump's policies to shield America from dangerous 3rd world migrants
— Big Daddy (@big_daddy_27) June 6, 2026
The JUDICIAL COUP MUST END!
MILLER: "Local judge says it’s… pic.twitter.com/DfdMYCUliG
Bureaucracy faces a stern examination
McConnell said the agency’s actions were “contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious,” and he accused USCIS of throwing immigrants “into indeterminate legal limbo.”
The ruling also noted that many affected applicants had already completed the required steps, including filing paperwork, paying fees, submitting biometrics and attending interviews, which made the blanket pause harder to justify under the law.
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The wider map comes into view
The policies were introduced after the 2025 shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, which the administration cited as a national-security concern.
But the court rejected that rationale. The measures had affected nationals from 39 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
India was not among those countries, and Indian applicants were not directly impacted by the freeze.
