Federal judge strikes down Trump immigration freeze affecting 39 countries, calling it 'anti-immigrant animus'

The ruling

US District Judge John McConnell Jr. struck down a set of immigration restrictions imposed by the Trump administration in November 2025, finding them "contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious." The policies, enacted by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), had paused final decisions on asylum cases, work permits, green cards, and naturalisation applications for nationals of 39 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. McConnell wrote that the measures "threw the lives of countless immigrants living in the United States into indeterminate legal limbo."

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 ruling, which runs more than 100 pages, accused the agency of exercising authority it does not possess and of justifying its actions with "pretextual concerns of 'national security' that mask anti-immigrant sentiments." McConnell, an Obama appointee, noted that applicants had followed all required procedures, submitted documents, and paid fees, yet were left waiting for months with no resolution.

Origins of the policy

The restrictions trace back to a shooting near the White House in November 2025, when an Afghan national who had collaborated with US forces during the war in Afghanistan shot two National Guard members. One servicewoman died from her injuries. In response, Trump vowed to "permanently suspend immigration from all Third World countries" and expanded the list of nations subject to full or partial travel bans.

USCIS subsequently announced a blanket and indefinite suspension of all final decisions for people from the designated countries, as well as a halt on all asylum decisions regardless of country of origin. The agency also ordered a comprehensive review of "all foreigners from all problematic countries."

Countries affected

The 39 countries subject to the processing freeze included Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, the Republic of Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Syria, South Sudan, Laos, and Sierra Leone, among others. Partial restrictions also applied to nationals of Angola, Venezuela, Cuba, Burundi, Togo, Turkmenistan, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and holders of travel documents issued by the Palestinian National Authority.

Reactions

Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which represented the plaintiffs, called the ruling a reaffirmation of a basic principle.

The federal government cannot shut down lawful immigration pathways or discriminate against people based on where they come from.

Perryman added that the policies caused enormous harm to families, workers, and asylum seekers across the country, leaving them unable to work, access protections, or move forward with their lives. The lawsuit was filed in March by a coalition of immigrant service organisations and labour unions challenging the USCIS measures. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Broader immigration context

The processing freeze is one of several Trump administration moves targeting legal immigration. In January 2026, the State Department separately paused most immigrant visa processing from 75 countries, citing a high risk of applicants becoming reliant on US social services. The administration also initially set the refugee cap at a historically low 7,500 before raising it by 10,000, and has prioritised the relocation of White Afrikaners, a move critics have called blatantly racist.