Challenging Unlawful Policies Targeting Immigrants Based on Country of Origin

This case challenges a series of sweeping immigration policies issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that effectively shut down large parts of the legal immigration system and target immigrants based on their country of origin.

The plaintiffs—a coalition of immigrant service organizations and labor unions—represent communities across the country who rely on USCIS to process immigration benefits, including asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship applications.

The lawsuit challenges four interconnected policies:

• A “Global Asylum Hold” that indefinitely halts all affirmative asylum adjudications
• A “Benefits Hold” freezing immigration applications for individuals from countries subject to the administration’s travel ban
• A “Comprehensive Re-Review” requiring the government to revisit and potentially revoke previously approved immigration benefits
• A “Country-Specific Factors Policy” directing immigration officers to treat a person’s nationality as a negative factor when deciding applications

Together, these policies have thrown millions of people into legal uncertainty, blocking asylum seekers from obtaining protection, preventing individuals from renewing work authorization or applying for permanent status, and putting previously granted legal protections at risk.

The complaint explains that Congress created a legal framework requiring USCIS to adjudicate immigration applications based on clear statutory criteria and within reasonable timeframes. Instead, the challenged policies impose sweeping, indefinite suspensions and discriminatory standards that Congress never authorized. The lawsuit further alleges that these actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act because they exceed agency authority, are arbitrary and capricious, and were implemented without required procedures. The policies violate the Constitution’s due process and equal protection guarantees by targeting individuals based on nationality.

Immigrants are losing jobs, facing the loss of legal status, and being placed at risk of detention or removal. Organizations serving immigrant communities are unable to carry out their core missions as their clients are left without access to lawful pathways and protections.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare these policies unlawful and block their implementation, restoring access to the legal immigration system and ensuring that immigration decisions are made according to law—not political targeting.