A federal judge in the United States has struck down Trump administration immigration policies that had halted or delayed decisions on applications from individuals belonging to 39 countries, ruling that the measures were unlawful and left thousands in prolonged legal uncertainty. Chief US District Judge John McConnell, sitting in Providence, ruled on Friday that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had implemented policies that effectively blocked adjudication of applications for asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship for affected applicants. He said the measures placed individuals in what he described as “indeterminate legal limbo.”

According to the ruling, the affected immigrants had followed all legally required procedures established by Congress and federal regulations, yet their applications were not being processed. McConnell noted that applicants had been left “stuck waiting, for months on end,” for decisions that USCIS was refusing to adjudicate, despite no fault of their own.

The judge, appointed by former President Barack Obama, concluded that the policies were adopted without proper statutory or regulatory authority and were influenced by what he described as “anti-immigrant sentiments.” He wrote that the agency had failed to comply with immigration laws and administrative procedures governing its operations, and that its actions could not be justified under existing legal frameworks.

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The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed in March by a coalition of immigrant service organizations and labor unions, which challenged USCIS policies introduced as part of a broader immigration crackdown under the Trump administration. The Department of Homeland Security, under which USCIS operates, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the decision.

The contested policies were introduced following heightened immigration enforcement measures after the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., an incident prosecutors have linked to an Afghan immigrant, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who has pleaded not guilty. In the aftermath, Trump publicly called for stricter immigration restrictions, including expanded travel bans covering 39 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, including nations such as Afghanistan, Iran, Haiti, Somalia, Venezuela, and Syria.

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