A federal judge on Friday lifted a freeze on the immigration applications of more than a million Haitians, Cubans, and Venezuelans in a ruling that struck down cornerstones of the Trump administration’s immigration agenda. This decision directly affects pending cases across work authorization, green cards, family petitions, employment visas, and naturalization requests.
What changed
Chief Judge John J McConnell, Jr, of the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island, ruled that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services overstepped its authority, made decisions without providing the necessary explanations, and used national security as a pretext for making decisions based on anti-immigrant sentiments.
The judge struck down several USCIS policies issued across three memos in late 2025 and early 2026. Specifically, the court invalidated several USCIS policies issued in late 2025 and early 2026, including measures that paused asylum and withholding-of-removal applications across nationalities, froze immigration benefits for applicants from 39 countries, and ordered reviews of previously approved cases.
McConnell also rejected a policy requiring immigration officers to weigh an applicant’s country of origin as a negative factor, as well as a directive to re-examine previously approved immigration benefits for certain nationalities.
Why it matters
For practitioners, this ruling immediately restores processing authority across multiple benefit types. The affected applications include work permits, green cards, family-based petitions, employment visas and naturalization requests. The court found the measures unlawful and said they left thousands of applicants in prolonged legal limbo without proper justification.
The decision eliminates the country-based hold that was preventing USCIS from issuing final decisions on applications from nationals of the 39 affected countries. This removes a major processing barrier that had left applicants unable to renew work authorization, adjust status, or advance pending cases—even when all substantive eligibility requirements were met.
Critically, the ruling is expected to bring relief to large immigrant communities, particularly in South Florida, where many Cubans, Haitians and Venezuelans have had applications stalled for months. Practitioners should expect USCIS to resume adjudication on these cases according to standard processing timelines.
Way forward
- Check pending case status immediately: Use myUSCIS or contact USCIS directly to confirm that country-based holds have been removed from affected applications (filed by nationals of the 39 countries targeted by the freeze).
- Request RFE extensions and reset dates: If applications have been pending for months under the hold, contact the service center to confirm new processing start dates and request reasonable timeframes for responding to any outstanding requests for evidence.
- Monitor naturalization ceremonies: Last year’s USCIS rule changes led to the widespread cancellation of naturalization ceremonies for affected immigrants on the brink of getting their citizenship. Those ceremonies will now be rescheduled, thanks to McConnell’s ruling.
- Prepare for appeal: The government may appeal to the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Continue to preserve the record and advise clients that policy could change pending appellate review.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Fola is a software platform for immigration practitioners, not a law firm. Consult a licensed immigration attorney regarding your specific case or situation. Policy can change without notice and may be subject to appeal. Always verify against the primary source documents and current USCIS guidance.