An American court overturns Trump’s decision to freeze immigration, which affects 39 countries: Will India be affected?

the Donald Trump’s administration illegally blocked immigration aid decisions for applicants from 39 travel ban countries, a US federal judge has ruled. This includes asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship applications. India was not part of the travel ban list.

The decision was delivered by John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, who found that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) implemented a series of illegal policies affecting applicants from across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Gulf region. This ruling coincided with the US Senate’s approval of legislation related to this matter Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda.

These policies imposed a blanket cessation of immigration benefits processing for individuals from 39 already subject countries Complete or partial travel ban, justified by the administration for reasons of national security and auditing. Affected applications included asylum applications, work permits, permanent residency (green cards), and citizenship pathways.

“USCIS’s control over adjudications cannot be attributed to any wrongdoing by these individuals; it arises only from the accident of their birth,” he wrote, according to Reuters.

“The rule of law should apply to everyone equally, and as is clear here, USCIS did not follow the law and did not do things the right way,” McConnell added.

“In fact, the agency violated the very immigration laws it was charged by Congress to administer, as well as the administrative laws governing the agency’s actions.”

The judge said the government lacked the legal authority for a blanket delay, and said the applicants had fully complied with US immigration procedures.

The ruling could affect how strictly US authorities are allowed to delay or pause immigration applications, which could affect processing practices that also affect Indian applicants.

“Every person seeking safety, stability and opportunity deserves a fair chance to have their case heard under the law,” Murad Awawda, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Alliance, told The Guardian.

“Today, a federal judge reaffirmed what we already knew: that the Trump administration broke the law, and did so with anti-immigrant malice. By denying access to asylum and preventing thousands of immigrants from getting their immigration claims decided based solely on their country of origin, the Trump administration acted against the law and against the rule of law.” He added that these policies left families in a state of uncertainty and undermined the legal immigration system created by Congress.

The plaintiffs, represented by Democracy Forward, also welcomed the ruling, saying it reaffirms that the federal government cannot deny legal immigration pathways based on citizenship.

The policies were introduced amid tightened immigration enforcement following a shooting involving National Guard members in Washington, D.C., after which Trump called for expanding immigration restrictions and travel bans to 39 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Haiti, Somalia, Venezuela and Syria.