By Darius Amiri, Partner and Chairman of Immigration Law Department | Rose Law Group Reporter
In a significant decision issued today in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS, a federal judge ruled that USCIS acted unlawfully when it imposed blanket holds on immigration benefit applications—including green cards, work permits, asylum cases, and naturalization applications—for individuals from 39 designated countries.
Early into this second Trump presidency, a series of executive actions and agency directives expanded visa restrictions affecting nationals of 39 countries spanning Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. USCIS then implemented internal guidance directing officers to place certain applications filed by nationals of those countries into adjudicative holds pending additional vetting and review
Today, the court found that these applicants, who had followed every legal requirement, were left in indefinite limbo based solely on their country of birth, emphasizing that USCIS cannot simply refuse to adjudicate applications that Congress has required the agency to process.
While questions remain about the scope of the ruling and whether the Trump administration will appeal, this decision is a powerful reminder that immigration agencies must follow the law and cannot impose broad nationality-based processing freezes without legal authority. It’s also important to note that this case is not really about whether a benefit should be approved—it is about whether USCIS can refuse to make a decision at all. The court’s answer was clear: agencies may investigate, vet, approve, or deny, but they generally cannot place entire categories of applicants into indefinite administrative limbo based solely on nationality
For immigrants, employers, and families affected by these delays, this ruling represents an important step toward restoring access to a functioning legal immigration system.
