Judge orders Trump to restart asylum and immigration applications
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restart asylum and immigration processing after it left some migrants living in the U.S. in legal limbo.
U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of Rhode Island wrote in a 135-page opinion that the administration’s actions made it impossible for a large group of people to remain in the country. McConnell wrote that the actions “placed the lives of countless individuals on hold — solely by virtue of their countries of birth.”
According to The New York Times, the Citizenship and Immigration Services adopted the policies after the administration announced them in November. The policies included a global hold on asylum applications filed with the agency, a pause on decisions on immigration applications filed by people from more than three dozen countries, and a halt to their ability to obtain a green card, among other changes.
The freeze resulted in immigrants living inside the U.S. waiting indefinitely for decisions on their applications, The Times reports. This disrupted their ability to work legally and left them wondering whether they could remain in the country.
This is a breaking news story and more information will be added to this story.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
