A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a Trump administration rule that gives refugees just 10 days to challenge the termination of their legal status.
U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick in Boston ordered the administration to halt the enforcement of the rule through Nov. 6, giving another judge time to consider whether to block the policy for a longer period.
The rule, issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Oct. 14, shortened the time refugees have to respond to notices stripping them of their legal status from 30 days to 10 days. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimated the change could impact as many as 186,000 refugees.
In a statement, USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler called the lawsuit a “frivolous attempt to disrupt the Trump administration’s commitment to enforce our country’s immigration laws as intended by Congress.”
“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services found an alarming erosion of screening and vetting measures under the Biden Administration in order to rush processing and maximize the number of refugees admitted to the United States. DHS is strengthening accountability and ensuring that refugee status is reserved only for those who were eligible under the law,” he continued.
Refugee advocacy groups and four refugees from Afghanistan, Colombia, Ethiopia and Iraq filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts accusing the administration of unlawfully restricting refugees’ ability to obtain green cards, while making it easier to revoke their legal status.
The lawsuit challenges three policies, including a broader effort to reexamine refugees admitted under former President Biden. The administration ordered immigration officials last November to re-vet those refugees and placed an indefinite hold on pending green card applications.
The plaintiffs argue that the policies have left refugees in “legal limbo,” preventing them from obtaining permanent residency while exposing them to the possibility of losing their refugee status without a meaningful opportunity to contest the decision.
The administration has defended the shortened termination process as necessary to protect national security while preventing fraud and restoring integrity to the immigration system.
Tuesday’s order does not address the merits of the broader lawsuit or block the administration’s refugee review and green card policies.
The judge assigned to the case will determine whether to extend the pause on the termination rule at a later date.
