Obama Judge Blocks Trump Immigration Halt from High-Risk Nations
A federal judge struck down Trump administration policies that suspended immigration and asylum processing from 39 high-risk nations following a deadly attack by an Afghan national.
Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island issued his ruling on Friday, declaring the administration’s security-focused immigration policies unlawful, according to Breitbart News.
The judge vacated and set aside four distinct policies: the Global Asylum Hold Policy, the Benefits Hold Policy, the Comprehensive Re-Review Policy, and the Country-Specific Factors Policy. McConnell denied the plaintiffs’ request for a permanent injunction while also denying without prejudice the government’s motion to dismiss constitutional claims.
The Trump administration had implemented these protective measures following a deadly November attack that killed National Guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and seriously wounded National Guardsman Andrew Wolfe. The assailant was Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who had been brought to the United States during the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Officials had classified the 39 countries as high-risk based on terrorism and national security concerns. The suspended immigration processing applied to Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Republic of Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, as well as the Palestinian Authority.
The administration argued the policies were essential safeguards to prevent potential terrorists from entering American communities under legal immigration channels.
The case, Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island et al v. USCIS, No. 1:26-cv-00132, was heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.
With information from Breitbart News
