US Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Immigration Restrictions on 39 Countries
A United States federal judge has blocked a series of immigration restrictions introduced by President Donald Trump’s administration following a deadly shooting involving an Afghan immigrant last year.
District Judge John McConnell ruled on Friday that restrictions affecting asylum applications, work permits, green card processing, and citizenship applications for nationals of 39 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East were unlawful.
The measures were introduced after a November 26, 2025 shooting in Washington, D.C., in which two members of the National Guard were shot by an Afghan immigrant. One of the guardsmen was killed in the attack.
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had immigrated to the United States through a resettlement programme established after the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan following the 2021 U.S. military withdrawal. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody awaiting trial.
In his ruling, Judge McConnell stated that the immigration restrictions had left thousands of affected immigrants in legal uncertainty despite no wrongdoing on their part.
“The restrictive immigration policies enacted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services threw the lives of countless immigrants living in the United States into indeterminate legal limbo,” the judge wrote.
According to the ruling, many applicants have remained without legal status, employment authorization, or certainty about their future months after the restrictions were imposed.
McConnell further criticized the justification provided for the measures, arguing that the agency relied on what he described as “pretextual concerns of national security” that concealed broader anti-immigration sentiments.
The judge, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, emphasized that the court’s responsibility was not to assess the political merits of the policy but to determine whether it complied with the law.
“The court concludes that they do not,” he wrote, ruling that the actions of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services were contrary to law and arbitrary.
Trump had campaigned on promises to tighten immigration controls and increase deportations of undocumented migrants. Following the 2025 shooting, he announced plans to significantly restrict migration from what he described as “Third World Countries,” citing national security concerns.
The ruling represents a significant legal setback for the administration’s immigration agenda and is expected to influence ongoing debates over immigration policy, national security, and the rights of legal migrants in the United States.
The case continues as federal authorities prosecute Lakanwal over the fatal shooting, while the administration considers its next legal steps regarding the blocked immigration measures.
AFP
US Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s Immigration Restrictions on 39 Countries