Federal District Judge John McConnell said on Friday that restrictions imposed on citizens of 39 countries seeking asylum, work permits or citizenship violate the law.
The Trump administration halted decisions on immigration cases after an incident in Washington, DC, in which an Afghan man who had been granted asylum is suspected of killing a 20-year-old National Guardsman. One person was injured.
The suspected perpetrator had been granted asylum in the United States in 2025 after serving in Afghanistan's U.S.-backed army for ten years.
He has been charged with murder but maintains his innocence in federal court.
