On June 5, 2026, Chief Judge John McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island struck down a series of Trump administration policies that had effectively halted the processing of immigration applications for individuals from 39 countries. This is a binding federal court order that you need to act on immediately.
What changed
Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. issued a landmark ruling in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS, vacating four USCIS policies that had placed immigration benefits on hold for people from countries targeted by Trump administration travel bans. The relief is nationwide.
The four vacated policies are:
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The Benefits Hold Policy — Froze work permit (EAD) approvals, green card adjudications, naturalization, and other immigration benefits for nationals of approximately 39 countries designated “high risk” under executive travel bans, including Iran, Nigeria, and Venezuela.
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The Global Asylum Hold Policy — Halted all asylum adjudications until March 30, 2026, when it restarted them for “non-high-risk countries”.
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The Comprehensive Re-Review Policy — Directed re-review of already-approved benefits for nationals of the 39 countries.
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The Country-Specific Factors Policy — Directed adjudicators to treat an applicant’s country of origin as a “significant negative factor” in discretionary decisions.
Judge McConnell found that the Immigration and Nationality Act uses mandatory “shall” language requiring USCIS to adjudicate asylum applications within 180 days, naturalization applications within 120 days, and employment authorization and adjustment of status applications pursuant to specific regulatory timelines. USCIS has no statutory authority to simply stop adjudicating. The court also found that Section 202 of the INA prohibits nationality-based discrimination for green card applicants.
US District Judge John J. McConnell Jr., an appointee of former President Barack Obama, said in his ruling that the administration’s policies are rooted in “anti-immigrant sentiments that it is forbidden from letting influence its decision-making” and have placed immigrants living in the United States in “indeterminate legal limbo.”
Why it matters
For six months, these policies left hundreds of thousands of people in legal and work authorization purgatory. The challenged policies placed the lives of countless individuals on hold—solely by virtue of their countries of birth. Over six months later, many of those individuals remain without work, without legal status, and without any meaningful ability to plan for their futures.
The ruling is binding and nationwide — USCIS must resume adjudication of all held cases. Clients waiting for green cards, work permits, asylum decisions, and naturalization should now move forward. However, the Trump administration has signaled it will likely appeal, so implementation will not be automatic or fast.
Key impact: If your client’s case was frozen under any of these four policies, USCIS cannot resume adjudication without explicit action or ongoing court supervision. An appeal could (temporarily) stay implementation, though the legal ground is thin.
Way forward
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Check your client’s case status immediately. Log into myUSCIS or contact USCIS to confirm whether your pending application was subject to the Benefits Hold, Global Asylum Hold, Comprehensive Re-Review, or Country-Specific Factors policies. Receipt notices and prior notices in the file will show the country of origin and application type.
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Document the freeze in your file. Preserve all notices showing the case was on hold, the dates, and the policy cited. You may need this for appeals if the government doesn’t move quickly to resume adjudication.
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Follow up proactively with USCIS. Government agencies do not always move quickly to implement court rulings, especially when they intend to appeal. An immigration attorney can help you understand where your case stands, whether to proactively follow up with USCIS, and how to protect your status in the meantime.
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Monitor the appeal. The Trump administration is likely to appeal. Set a docket alert in the District of Rhode Island case (Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS, No. 1:26-cv-00132) and track the First Circuit for any stay request or expedited appeal notice.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. We are a software company, not a law firm. Immigration law is complex, and federal court decisions can be appealed, reversed, or limited on narrow grounds. You must verify this ruling and its current status against the primary source linked above and consult a licensed immigration attorney before advising any client or taking action. Policy and case law change without notice; always confirm that information is current before filing or making strategic decisions.