Providence, R.I. – In a victory for immigrant communities and the rule of law, a federal court today vacated and declared unlawful a series of Trump-Vance administration immigration policies that have halted asylum processing, frozen immigration benefits, and targeted immigrants based on nationality.
The challenged policies have left millions of immigrants in legal uncertainty by indefinitely suspending asylum adjudications, freezing immigration applications for people from countries subject to the administration’s travel ban, reopening previously approved immigration cases, and directing immigration officers to treat nationality as a significant negative factor in their decisions. Plaintiffs argued the policies violated federal immigration law, the U.S. Constitution, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, was brought by a coalition of immigrant service organizations and labor unions representing communities nationwide who rely on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to process asylum applications, work permits, green cards, and citizenship applications. In agreeing with plaintiffs that the challenged policies are unlawful and discriminatory, the court wrote that the administration’s actions “cannot be attributed to anything that [the targeted individuals] did wrong: rather, it arises solely by the happenstance of their birth.”
Plaintiffs include Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island, Refugee Dream Center, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), African Communities Together (ACT), Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts (VAM), Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA), and American Gateways. The organizations are represented by Democracy Forward, Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), Muslim Advocates, and South Asian American Justice Collaborative (SAAJCO).
“Today is a good day. On behalf of the thousands of immigrants we serve, we are grateful to Judge McConnell for his ruling. These policies were wrong, plain and simple, and caused and profound fear and uncertainty for so many of our friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Having the judicial process work as intended – by upholding the rule of law -gives us some reassurance that all is not lost and allows those who have been impacted to move forward with their lives in a meaningful way,” said Milagro Sique, Chief Executive Officer, Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island
“This ruling reaffirms the American doctrine of the rule of law, and place of refuge and equality for all that call it home. Communities, people, neighbors, families, fellow Americans, have suffered from these four (and many other) arbitrary policies of the Trump Administration. We always believed they were wrong policies and today we have been vindicated. We cheer for the triumph these many people who were affected will celebrate today,” said Dr. Omar Bah, Founder and Co-Executive Director, Refugee Dream Center
“This decision reaffirms a simple but fundamental principle: no one should be treated differently simply because of where they were born,” said Ciro Valiente, Spokesperson and Board Director of the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts. “Venezuelans and other immigrants who followed the law, complied with every requirement, and placed their trust in our institutions deserve a fair process, not indefinite uncertainty. Today’s ruling sends a clear message that nationality alone cannot be used as a justification to place people in legal limbo. It is a victory for due process, equal treatment under the law, and the values of fairness that strengthen our democracy.”
“The rule of law must always prevail and this decision upholds that. This administration’s repeated unlawful actions to undermine our immigration system is rooted in hate and racism. We are hopeful that with this decision, that millions of immigrants in this country will be able to move forward with their lives, be able to work, and regularize their status. It is crucial to note that the banned countries have majority black and brown populations. With this decision, we affirm that everyone is welcome and must have access to a fair and just immigration system,” said Maria Chavez, Immigration Legal Director of Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA)
“We appreciate the court’s decision vacating the unlawful and xenophobic policies that placed people and families seeking safety, dignity, hope, and opportunity in indefinite limbo. This ruling reinforces the integrity of our nation’s immigration system; it allows people who have spent decades waiting for the legal system to work as promised to have certainty and a path forward for hard-fought permanent status and family reunification. It is important that no administration excludes people based solely on their country of origin,” said Edna Yang, co-Executive Director of American Gateways
“This ruling reaffirms a basic principle: the federal government cannot shut down lawful immigration pathways or discriminate against people based on where they come from,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “These unlawful policies caused enormous harm to families, workers, asylum seekers, and communities across the country who were left in limbo, unable to work, access protections, or move forward with their lives. We are pleased that the court recognized the devastating human consequences of these policies. Our communities deserve a fair process governed by law, not political targeting rooted in fear mongering and discrimination.”
“Today’s decision is a powerful affirmation that the rule of law still protects immigrant communities in Rhode Island and across the country,” said Kevin Love Hubbard, Counsel for the Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island. “The Court recognized that the government cannot throw the lives of immigrants who followed all the rules into indefinite limbo simply because of where they were born. Because of this ruling, and the courage of our Plaintiffs in bringing the case, thousands of families, workers, asylum seekers, and future citizens will now have the opportunity the law promises: to have their applications decided fairly.”
“Today’s ruling lays bare the Trump administration’s hypocrisy and its ostensible motivations: to reshape immigration policies in service to an unlawful and illegitimate anti-immigrant agenda,” said Faisal Al-Juburi, Co-Chief Executive Officer at RAICES. “We applaud the Court for taking a vital step in upholding the rule of law. Let it be known that RAICES will continue to fight against such arbitrary and cruel barriers until every single person seeking refuge is treated with the dignity and equity that the U.S. Constitution demands.”
“Today’s decision is an unsparing rejection of the government’s discriminatory and unlawful actions to gut access to immigration benefits under the false pretext of national security,” said Abbey Koenning-Rutherford, Staff Attorney at Muslim Advocates. “These policies unjustly revived the discriminatory logic of the first Muslim and African bans and expanded them widely to millions of community members already inside the United States. In vacating these unlawful policies, the court makes it unmistakably clear that the Trump administration cannot hold the lives of immigrants in legal limbo based on their countries of birth, and must continue processing their applications for status and benefits as required by law.”
“Under these challenged USCIS discriminatory policies, thousands of immigrants who were lawfully seeking immigration benefits have been subject to unnecessary delay for decisions on their work permits, asylum applications, lawful permanent residence status and so many other benefits,” says Legal Director Anisa Rahim of the South Asian American Justice Collaborative. “For Afghan families, including many who came to the United States seeking safety after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, these delays have meant prolonged uncertainty over their ability to work, remain safe, and build stable lives. SAAJCO applauds today’s decision by the US District Court of Rhode Island vacating and setting these unlawful policies that are contrary to law not just for individual plaintiffs but all individuals around the country who are experiencing distress and harm due to the delay.”
The case is Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island et al v. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services et al, 26-cv-00132-JJM-PAS (D.R.I.).
Read the decision here and the complaint here.
A Spanish version of this press release is available here.
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