Federal Judge John McConnell Jr. reversed a policy by President Donald Trump’s administration that, after last year’s shooting of two National Guardsmen, made it more difficult for immigrants from 39 African, Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries to get decisions on applications for asylum, work permits, green cards and citizenship.
In the ruling, the judge found that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) acted against the law and that it justified its actions with national security claims that masked anti-immigrant attitudes.
Democracy Forward, which represented the plaintiffs, welcomed the decision, saying the federal government cannot close legal immigration pathways or discriminate against people based on their origins.
The ruling applies to all pending USCIS cases involving people from the countries covered by the ban, not just the cases covered by the lawsuit.
The US government argued during the proceedings that Congress gives the executive branch broad powers in conducting immigration policy.
(Vijesti.ba)
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