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- A federal judge struck down Trump administration policies that suspended asylum processing and froze certain immigration applications.
- Judge John McConnell criticized what he described as strong evidence of anti-immigrant animus in his 135-page ruling.
- The policies left millions of immigrants without work authorization or legal status for over six months.
A federal judge struck down a series of Trump administration policies targeting asylum seekers and immigrants seeking benefits in a scathing court ruling Friday.
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Last year, the administration indefinitely suspended asylum adjudications and froze immigration applications for people who fell under the travel ban, among other measures, leaving millions of immigrants in the United States in legal limbo.
Judge John J. McConnell Jr. acknowledged that uncertainty in his .
“(T)he Challenged Policies placed the lives of countless individuals on hold – solely by virtue of their countries of birth,” wrote McConnell, a nominee of former President Barack Obama. “Over six months later, many of those individuals remain without work, without legal status, and without any meaningful ability to plan for their futures.”
McConnell went on to lambast what he described as “strong evidence of anti-immigrant animus.”
“The Government effectively invites the Court to shut its eyes and ignore the strong evidence of anti-immigrant animus before it,” the judge wrote. “Doing so would require profound naiveté on the Court’s part. Unfortunately for the Government, that is an invitation that this Court will have to decline.”
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US Citizenship and Immigration Services enacted the changes last year after an Afghan national shot two National Guard members in Washington, DC. He has pleaded not guilty.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, an advocacy organization, said in a statement that the ruling “reaffirms a basic principle: the federal government cannot shut down lawful immigration pathways or discriminate against people based on where they come from,”
“We are pleased that the court recognized the devastating human consequences of these policies. Our communities deserve a fair process governed by law, not political targeting rooted in fear and discrimination,” Perryman added.
CNN has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS for comment.
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