Judge Blocks Trump Work Permit Restrictions

A federal judge in Boston has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's new rules aimed at revoking the work authorization of tens of thousands of asylum seekers and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders in the United States.

The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by a coalition of legal groups and labor unions. US District Judge Nathaniel Gorton said he would decide by 5 August whether to extend the suspension.

The new restrictions, including asylum application fees and limits on work authorization for TPS holders, were introduced under a package of laws passed by the Republican-controlled Congress in July 2025.

Plaintiffs represented by liberal legal group Democracy Forward argued that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had unlawfully implemented the rules without giving the public notice and an opportunity to comment. They also challenged the retroactive application of the rules to migrants from Ukraine, Sudan and El Salvador, which they said could strip thousands of them of their authorization to work beginning on Wednesday.

Although the US government has long sought to end TPS protections for several countries, the program remains in effect for those three countries until the fall. Gorton did not suspend the new fees but barred USCIS from revoking the work permits of people who fail to pay the fee or imposing other penalties.

(Reuters, Max)