US Federal Judge Strikes Down Trump Immigration Policy Targeting 39 Countries

Federal Judge John McConnell Jr. in Boston issued a ruling that nullifies a Trump‑era immigration policy which barred immigrants from 39 countries from receiving asylum decisions, work permits, green cards or citizenship. The judge said the policy “threw the lives of countless immigrants … into an indefinite legal limbo” and criticized USCIS for acting without lawful authority, describing its actions as “contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious.”

The decision restores legal immigration pathways for pending USCIS cases involving nationals of the listed countries and obligates the agency to resume its statutory adjudication duties. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson has not commented. The ruling does not affect asylum adjudications for individuals detained at the border.