Federal Judge Blocks Trump-Era Immigration Freeze for 39 Countries
A federal judge struck down the Trump administration's freeze on immigration benefits for 39 countries.
Why it matters: This ruling challenges the use of national security as a pretext to restrict immigration benefits, impacting immigration policy enforcement and legal practitioners handling cases for nationals from affected countries.
- The policy froze immigration benefits for individuals from 39 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
- It was enacted after a November 2025 shooting involving an Afghan national and suspended all asylum application adjudications.
- Judge John McConnell Jr. ruled the policy 'arbitrary and capricious' and beyond USCIS authority.
- The ruling allows all pending immigration applications from nationals of these countries to proceed.
- Skye Perryman of Democracy Forward stated the ruling affirms that the government cannot discriminate based on nationality.
On June 5, 2026, U.S. District Chief Judge John McConnell Jr. blocked a policy implemented by the Trump administration that broadly restricted immigration benefits for nationals from 39 countries. This list spans regions including Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
The challenged policy was enacted following the November 2025 shooting of two National Guard members by an Afghan national. The Trump administration suspended adjudication of asylum applications and designated nationality from these 39 countries as a 'significant negative factor' in immigration decisions.
Judge McConnell criticized the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for acting beyond its legal authority and failing to follow required procedures, describing the freeze as "arbitrary and capricious." He stated USCIS "claims statutory and regulatory authority that it does not possess; makes decisions without the reasoned explanations that it must provide; and acts without regard for the... legal process."
The ruling affects all pending USCIS cases involving nationals from these countries, permitting those immigration applications to move forward without the restrictions of the policy. This decision can substantially impact the enforcement of immigration law and policy going forward.
Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward, remarked, "This ruling reaffirms a basic principle: the federal government cannot shut down lawful immigration pathways or discriminate against people based on where they come from."
By the numbers:
- 39 countries — affected by the Trump-era immigration benefit freeze
- 135 pages — length of Judge McConnell’s ruling
- November 2025 — policy enacted after National Guard shooting incident