The judge said the restrictions put immigrants’ lives in an “uncertain legal limbo” motivated by “anti-immigrant sentiment.”
Published June 5, 2026
A federal judge has struck down sweeping restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration on immigration screening in 39 countries.
The ruling issued Friday by District Judge John McConnell condemned the restrictions imposed in November 2025 after the shooting deaths of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
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McConnell said the policy effectively barred citizens of 39 countries from receiving final decisions on their asylum claims, green cards, work permits and citizenship applications.
The change “has thrown the lives of countless immigrants living in the United States into uncertain legal limbo,” he said in his ruling.
McConnell particularly took issue with the Trump administration’s assertion that restrictive measures are necessary to address national security concerns.
He said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) used “pretext concerns of ‘national security’ to mask anti-immigrant sentiment.”
“USCIS’s withholding of judgment does not result from anything these individuals did wrong, but rather solely because of the coincidence of their birth,” the judge said.
“More than six months later, many of these people remain without jobs, legal status, or any meaningful ability to plan for their futures,” McConnell said.
The 39 countries in question are primarily located in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Trump campaigned on a promise to oversee a massive deportation campaign to deport people living in the United States illegally, but he has increasingly targeted legal immigration routes.
In January, the U.S. State Department individually suspended processing of most immigrant visas from 75 countries, saying immigrants from these countries are at high risk of becoming dependent on U.S. social services.
The Trump administration also lifted a highly vetted cap on the number of refugees allowed into the United States, initially setting the number at a historic low of 7,500 and then increasing it in 10,000 increments.
The administration has prioritized relocating white Afrikaners, a move critics have denounced as blatantly racist.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said in a statement that the ruling “reaffirms the fundamental principle that the federal government cannot shut down legal immigration routes or discriminate against people based on their national origin.”
“These illegal policies have caused tremendous harm to families, workers, asylum seekers, and communities across the country who have been left with nowhere to work, access protection, or move forward with their lives,” she said.
