US Court Rules Trump-Era Freeze on Citizenship Application Reviews Illegal

A federal court in the US state of Massachusetts has rejected policies adopted by the administration of President Donald Trump that made it harder for citizens of several restricted countries to obtain US citizenship, green cards, and permanent residency.

In a ruling delivered on Thursday, US District Judge Julia Kobick said the policies were discriminatory and unlawful.

In November 2025, citing security concerns, the Trump administration imposed travel restrictions on US citizens visiting 39 countries. At the same time, the administration indefinitely suspended the review of citizenship, green card, and permanent residency applications submitted by nationals of those countries.

Before enforcing the suspension, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), under the Department of Homeland Security, adopted a policy in November 2025 that treated nationality as a “significant negative factor” when reviewing immigration applications from individuals originating from partially or fully restricted countries.

Following the introduction of the policy, around 200 citizens from 20 affected countries — including Iran, Haiti, Venezuela, and Syria — filed a lawsuit in December at the US District Court in Boston seeking to overturn the measure. The lawsuit named USCIS as the defendant.

Judge Kobick, in Thursday’s ruling, blocked the administration’s suspension policy regarding immigration applications from citizens of the restricted countries.

The judge stated that the suspension violated both US immigration and nationality laws as well as directives established by Congress.

Kobick specifically barred USCIS from enforcing the policy against 22 plaintiffs who submitted detailed declarations explaining how they were harmed by the measures. She also instructed both parties to discuss whether the ruling should be extended to cover the remaining plaintiffs in the case.

Attorney Jim Hacking, representing the plaintiffs, welcomed the ruling, saying USCIS attempted to make the immigration process more difficult for citizens of the 39 countries despite Congress never approving such a policy.

According to AFP, the US Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the ruling when contacted following the court’s decision.