Updated

Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 21

US Judge Blocks Trump Move to Revoke 10,000s of Migrant Work Permits Until Aug. 5

Updated

Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 21

US Judge Blocks Trump Move to Revoke 10,000s of Migrant Work Permits Until Aug. 5

Q: A judge saved thousands of immigrant jobs this week, but for how long?

For now, the jobs are protected only until at least August 5, when Judge Nathaniel Gorton is expected to decide whether to extend his temporary order. His ruling, issued July 21, blocks USCIS from immediately revoking work permits tied to a new $102 annual asylum fee and from ending the 30-day processing rule for initial asylum work permits. That means tens of thousands of asylum seekers and TPS holders from countries including El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine can keep working while the case continues. But this is only a short-term reprieve. The judge did not stop the government from collecting the asylum fee itself; he only blocked the penalties for not paying it, such as rejecting asylum applications or canceling work authorization. If he later declines a longer injunction, those consequences could return quickly. The longer-term outlook is uncertain because recent higher-court rulings have favored the administration’s authority over TPS terminations. In June, the Supreme Court allowed the government to move ahead with ending TPS protections for Haitian and Syrian immigrants in a separate case, signaling that challenges to TPS terminations may face steep odds. So the immediate answer is: the jobs were saved for days or possibly weeks, not permanently. The current protection lasts through the temporary restraining order and could be extended after August 5, but unless the court grants broader relief or Congress changes the law, the workers remain vulnerable.

3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Jul 21

A federal judge in Boston temporarily stopped the Trump administration from stripping work permits from tens of thousands of asylum seekers and TPS holders, halting a policy due to take effect as early as Wednesday.
Judge Nathaniel Gorton said the consequences could be severe and kept the order in place while weighing a longer-term injunction, with a decision expected by Aug. 5.
The lawsuit targets USCIS policy changes tied to 2025 immigration restrictions, including rejecting asylum applications or terminating work permits over a new annual asylum fee and ending a 30-day processing rule.
Gorton did not block collection of the new fee, but he barred USCIS from punishing nonpayment for now; the case also challenges retroactive application to TPS holders from El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine.
The ruling marks a setback to Trump's broader push to unwind TPS protections for more than a dozen countries, after the Supreme Court last month let the administration end protections for thousands of Haitians and Syrians.