U.S. Judge Rules Trump Administration’s Immigration Restrictions Unlawful
Tawazon – A US federal judge has ruled that immigration restrictions imposed by the Trump administration after the shooting of two National Guard members by an Afghan immigrant are unlawful.
In a 135 page decision issued on Friday, June 5, Federal Judge John McConnell said that the suspension of refugee applications, work permits, green cards and citizenship processing for citizens of 39 countries violated US law.
The restrictions were introduced following a November 26 shooting in Washington in which an Afghan national opened fire on two members of the US National Guard, killing one of them.
Judge McConnell said the decision by U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services placed thousands of immigrants in legal limbo, leaving many without work authorization or clear legal status more than six months later.
According to the ruling, the suspension of case processing was imposed not because of the applicants’ actions but solely due to their country of birth.
The judge also rejected the government’s national security justification, saying the policies lacked sufficient legal justification.
McConnell stressed that the court’s role is not to determine whether the administration’s immigration policies are good or bad, but whether they comply with the law. He concluded that the actions of immigration authorities were “arbitrary and contrary to law”.
However Trump administration officials criticized the decision.