US judge invalidates Trump administration restrictions on legal immigration

District Judge John McConnell ruled that the restrictions imposed on asylum applications, work permits and citizenship of citizens of 39 countries were illegal.
"Since then, people from these countries have been categorically prevented from obtaining final decisions regarding, among others, their applications for asylum, work permits, permanent residence card or naturalization," the judge noted.
He cited a publication by former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
In December, Noem stated in the 2025:
Afghanistan
Myanmar
Chad
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Haiti
Iran
Libya
Somalia
Sudan
Yemen
To these were added seven others (Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela), subjected since the same date to restrictions on the granting of visas.
Twenty countries were later added to the list in December 2025.
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The judge criticizes, in particular, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) for "justifying its actions by 'national security' concerns that, in reality, are pretexts to disguise anti-immigrant prejudices".
Trump has made the fight against irregular immigration an absolute priority, alluding to an "invasion" of the country by "criminals coming from the abroad".
But its mass deportation program was frustrated or stopped by multiple court decisions.
USA officially classifies PCC and CV as terrorist organizations

Source: G1