New York, NY—Today, Judge John J. McConnell Jr. struck down four immigration policies enacted by Donald Trump and his administration, including measures that halted asylum applications and paused the decisions of immigration applications, work permits, green cards and citizenship applications for nationals from the 39 countries subject to the federal government’s travel ban.
In his ruling, Judge McConnell found that the Trump administration’s actions effectively made it impossible for individuals eligible for asylum to remain in the United States and violated ‘the immigration laws governing the responsibilities of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.’
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Every person seeking safety, stability, and opportunity deserves a fair chance to have their case heard under the law. Today, a federal judge reaffirmed what we already knew: that the Trump administration violated the law, and did so with anti-immigrant malice. By shutting down access to asylum and preventing thousands of immigrants from receiving a decision on their immigration applications solely on the basis of which country they come from, the Trump administration acted against statute and against the rule of law. Their unlawful actions left thousands of families in limbo, cut people from life-saving protections, and undermined the rule of law by attempting to bypass the immigration system established by Congress. We applaud Judge McConnell’s ruling, which renews faith in our legal system as fair and accountable. While this decision restores critical pathways for many, Congress must continue fighting for policies that uphold due process, protect immigrant families, and ensure every individual is treated with fairness under the law.”