A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restart asylum processing and resume deciding a wide range of immigration benefits for nationals of 39 countries, ruling that the freeze the government imposed was unlawful. The decision, handed down on June 5, 2026, by U.S. District Judge John McConnell, forces officials to turn a stalled legal system back on.
McConnell ruled that the administration must resume adjudicating asylum claims and immigration benefits including work permits and green cards for people from the affected countries. The freeze, the court found, had no lawful basis.
How the Freeze Worked
For months, the government had quietly stopped moving on a broad category of immigration cases tied to nationals of 39 countries. Asylum seekers who followed the legal process were left waiting with no decision and no timeline. Applications for work permits and green cards that had been filed properly simply stopped advancing.
The practical effect was a backlog measured not just in paperwork but in human stakes. People who had done everything the system asked of them, filing the correct forms, paying the required fees, and waiting their turn, found the door closed without explanation. Many were left unable to work legally while their cases sat untouched.
What the Court Found
Judge McConnell concluded that the administration did not have the authority to halt an entire legal process for nationals of dozens of countries. The ruling rejected the idea that the government could freeze adjudications it found inconvenient or wished to slow, and ordered officials to resume processing.
The order covers both asylum processing and the broader adjudication of immigration benefits. That distinction matters: it means the government must not only hear asylum claims again but also restart decisions on work authorization and permanent residency for those caught in the freeze.
The case was reported by NBC News and Newsweek, which noted the scope of the ruling and the 39 countries whose nationals were affected by the halt.
Reactions and What Comes Next
For immigrant families and advocates, the ruling lands as a significant check on executive power over the immigration system. It reinforces a basic principle: the legal pathways Congress created cannot simply be switched off at will.
The administration can still appeal, and the broader fight over immigration policy is far from settled. But for now, the court has ordered the system back into motion, and the people whose cases were frozen are no longer stuck in indefinite limbo.
What This Means for Americans
Immigration processing is not an abstraction. Work permits let people support their families and contribute to local economies. Green card decisions shape whether neighbors, coworkers, and classmates can build stable lives. When the system freezes, the costs ripple outward into communities. When a court forces it back open, those same communities feel the relief.
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