Judge Ends Trump Freeze on Immigration Applications of Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans

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.

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. They include a freeze on all applications for asylum and withholdings of removals across all nationalities and a hold on pending immigration applications from 39 countries, including Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela.

Those applications are for work permits, family-based green cards, employment visas, citizenship and more.

Also declared unlawful in Friday’s ruling were a mandate to review all approved immigration applications during the Biden era from the 39 countries, and a requirement that USCIS officials deem certain nationalities as a negative factor when deciding applications.

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The Trump administration could still request a stay on the order from an appeals court or ask the Supreme Court to intervene in an emergency request, as it has done in federal immigration cases where judges have ruled against them. {snip}

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