US Judge In Landmark Ruling Blocks Trump Administration’s Immigration Restrictions On 39 Countries

A United States federal judge has struck down a series of immigration restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration on nationals from 39 countries, ruling that the measures were unlawful and left thousands of immigrants trapped in legal uncertainty.

District Judge John McConnell, in a ruling delivered on Friday, blocked the restrictions that affected asylum applications, work permits, green card processing and citizenship applications for immigrants from several African, Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern nations.

The controversial measures were introduced following the November 2025 shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., by an Afghan immigrant. One of the guardsmen was killed in the attack.

In his ruling, McConnell said the actions taken by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had thrown the lives of countless immigrants into what he described as an “indeterminate legal limbo.”

According to the judge, many affected individuals had spent more than six months without legal status, employment authorization or any certainty about their future in the United States.

“USCIS’s hold on adjudications cannot be attributed to anything that these individuals did wrong; rather, it arises solely by the happenstance of their birth,” McConnell stated as quoted by AFP.

“Over six months later, many of those individuals remain without work, without legal status, and without any meaningful ability to plan for their futures,” he added.

The judge further criticised the government’s justification for the restrictions, saying immigration authorities relied on what he described as “pretextual concerns of national security” that concealed broader anti-immigrant sentiments.

McConnell, who was appointed to the federal bench by former President Barack Obama, stressed that the court was not evaluating whether the administration’s immigration policy was politically wise but whether it complied with existing laws.

“The court concludes that they do not,” he ruled. “USCIS’s actions are contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious.”

The ruling marks a significant legal setback for the Trump administration, which has pursued some of the toughest immigration policies in recent American history.

Trump returned to office after campaigning on promises to carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and dramatically reduce legal migration into the United States.

Following the National Guard shooting in November 2025, Trump publicly declared that he intended to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries,” triggering widespread criticism from immigrant rights groups and civil liberties advocates.

The administration subsequently introduced the restrictions affecting nationals from 39 countries, citing national security concerns.

The case that prompted the policy involved Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national accused of opening fire on National Guard members a few blocks from the White House.

According to US authorities, Lakanwal had entered the United States through a resettlement programme established after the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Before relocating to the US, he reportedly served in a CIA-backed partner force that fought against the Taliban.

Lakanwal has been charged in connection with the shooting but has pleaded not guilty. He remains in custody awaiting trial.

Friday’s ruling is expected to have far-reaching implications for thousands of immigrants whose applications had been frozen under the policy and could trigger further legal battles over the Trump administration’s broader immigration agenda.