A US federal judge has ruled that immigration restrictions imposed by the Trump administration following the shooting of two National Guard members by an Afghan immigrant are unlawful.
Federal Judge John McConnell stated in a 135-page ruling issued on Friday, June 5, that the suspension of refugee, work permit, green card, and citizenship application processing for citizens of 39 countries does not comply with the law.
The restrictions were introduced after a November 26 shooting in Washington in which an Afghan national opened fire on two members of the US National Guard, killing one of them.
According to Judge McConnell, the decision by US Citizenship and Immigration Services “placed thousands of immigrants in legal limbo,” leaving many without work authorization or a clear legal status more than six months later.
In his ruling, he wrote that the suspension of case processing was imposed not because of the applicants’ actions, but solely because of their country of birth.
The judge also rejected the US government’s national security justification, saying the policies were not supported by sufficient legal grounds.
McConnell emphasized that the court’s role is not to determine whether the administration’s immigration policies are good or bad, but whether they comply with the law. In this case, he concluded that the actions of immigration authorities were “arbitrary and contrary to law.”
Meanwhile, the legal advocacy group Democracy Forward welcomed the ruling, saying the federal government cannot block lawful immigration pathways based on nationality or place of birth.
However, Trump administration officials criticized the decision.
James Percival, legal counsel for the US Department of Homeland Security, said the government is likely to challenge the ruling.
