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.”
Download the Straight Arrow app today to get the stories that matter free from manipulation, bias or agenda.™
Point phone camera here
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.
What did the judge write?
McConnell said in his ruling that the Trump administration’s holds on immigration violated laws that dictate the duties of CIS. He found that the agency had applied the law unequally under the policies.
The judge also noted that those who had followed all the procedures asked of them had the most difficult time with the changes, rather than migrants who had illegally entered the U.S.
“The court is reminded of a line often repeated in discussions around immigration policy: If people wish to immigrate to the United States, they ought to ‘follow the law’ and ‘do things the right way,’” he wrote. “This case serves as a perfect example of immigrants doing just that.”
Round out your reading
- With more prison space than prisoners, correctional facilities are shutting down.
- ‘Game changer’: New cancer treatment turns major surgery into an outpatient procedure.
- Viewers overwhelmingly support ‘The View’s’ fight against the FCC. Will that matter?
- Why an ICE shooting in Houston isn’t leading to mass protests.
- Milwaukee detective is the latest officer charged with misusing Flock cameras.
