US federal judge halts Trump-era migrant restrictions

On Friday, U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. in Rhode Island issued an injunction that blocks a Trump administration immigration rule that had frozen processing of asylum, work‑permit, green‑card and citizenship applications from migrants originating in 39 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.

The judge said the policy left thousands of immigrants in a “legal vacuum” and that the Department of Homeland Security’s USCIS acted without sufficient legal justification. The rule had been adopted after a shooting near the White House that wounded two National Guard members. Advocacy groups welcomed the decision; the administration said it may appeal, and if the injunction stands USCIS must resume processing the pending cases.