Washington, DC – A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from stripping tens of thousands of asylum seekers and Temporary Protected Status holders of their ability to work in the United States, halting a policy set to take effect as soon as Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton in Boston sided with the plaintiffs, a coalition of immigrant rights groups and labor unions, writing that the consequences they face are potentially severe.
The blocked policies would have allowed USCIS to reject asylum applications and revoke work permits over an unpaid new asylum fee, applied retroactively to TPS holders from El Salvador, Sudan, and Ukraine. The temporary hold will be in place until Judge Gorton rules by August 5 on a longer-term injunction.
Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice, issued the following statement:
“This ruling buys time, not safety. Enormous damage has already been done to employers and Americans who depend on the hard work of immigrant workers with legal status. Every person this policy targets is someone’s coworker, neighbor, or caregiver, doing everything asked of them and still fearing for their livelihoods. Donald Trump and Stephen Miller are intent on continuing their relentless, violent and chaotic effort to delegalize immigrants so they can deport as many as possible. Congress must act now to protect TPS before the next ruling undoes today’s relief.”
