Judge Strikes Down Trump Immigration Freeze On 39 Countries Court Delivers Major Blow To White House StrategyA federal judge has struck down a series of Trump administration immigration policies that effectively froze applications from people born in 39 countries, ruling that the measures were unlawful and driven by impermissible anti-immigrant bias. Chief U.S. District Judge John McConnell ruled Friday that the policies left thousands of immigrants trapped in legal limbo, unable to obtain decisions on asylum claims, work permits, green cards or citizenship applications despite following established legal procedures. The ruling represents one of the most significant judicial setbacks yet for President Donald Trump's latest immigration crackdown. Immigrants Left In ‘Indeterminate Legal Limbo’In a strongly worded judgment, McConnell said the government had effectively stopped processing applications from people solely because of where they were born. The judge said affected immigrants had complied with every legal requirement imposed by Congress and federal regulations, yet found themselves waiting indefinitely for decisions that immigration officials simply refused to make. "USCIS's hold on adjudications cannot be attributed to anything that these individuals did wrong," McConnell wrote. "Rather, it arises solely by the happenstance of their birth." U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, he said, lacked the legal authority to impose such sweeping restrictions. Crackdown Followed National Guard ShootingThe policies were introduced after the November shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors allege the attack was carried out by Afghan immigrant Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who has pleaded not guilty. In the aftermath, Trump pledged to "permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries" while the immigration system recovered. His administration subsequently expanded travel restrictions to cover 39 nations across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Countries facing full travel bans included Afghanistan, Iran, Haiti, Somalia, Venezuela and Syria. Judge Accuses Administration Of Breaking Immigration LawMcConnell concluded that the immigration agency adopted the policies without statutory authority and in violation of federal administrative law. The judge said the government had allowed anti-immigrant sentiment to influence official decision-making, something federal agencies are prohibited from doing. "But the rule of law has to apply to everyone equally," McConnell wrote. "Indeed, the agency has violated the very immigration laws that Congress has charged it with administering." The ruling immediately halts the policy and orders immigration authorities to resume processing affected applications. Civil Rights Groups Celebrate VictoryThe lawsuit was brought by a coalition of immigrant advocacy organisations and labour unions represented by the legal group Democracy Forward. Its president, Skye Perryman, hailed the decision as a reaffirmation that the federal government cannot shut down lawful immigration pathways based on nationality. The Department of Homeland Security had not commented on the ruling at the time of publication. The decision is expected to trigger another legal and political battle over immigration policy as the Trump administration weighs whether to appeal. SOURCE
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