Lawsuit challenges Trump's authority on immigration pause

"A lawsuit filed Friday in Boston's federal court alleges that the suspension of casework by the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office is not authorized by immigration or administrative law. The pause has stopped people from claiming asylum, getting work authorization, renewing student visas and processing green cards. It has even pulled people out of citizenship ceremonies, the last phase of the naturalization process."

"There are 39 countries on the travel ban list, some with total restrictions on travel to the U.S., because of the national security concerns and those nationals overstaying their visas. But since December, this list is also being used against people living in the U.S. and navigating the legal immigration system. Being from one of these countries is now also a "significant negative factor" on an application."

"What they're saying: "What is happening right now is just an administration that is bent on tormenting legal immigrants," said Jim Hacking, a lead attorney for the case. "People who are 'doing it the right way' are having their lives upended because this agency along with the Department of Homeland Security doesn't want to follow the law," he said. Zoom in: The case filing shares the circumstances of the 197 initial plaintiffs in the case, including people who filed and paid for their applications."

A lawsuit filed in Boston federal court challenges a Department of Homeland Security and USCIS suspension of casework as unauthorized by immigration and administrative law. The pause halted asylum claims, work authorization, student visa renewals, green card processing, and removed people from citizenship ceremonies. The suit concedes presidential authority to bar entry but argues no law permits freezing adjudications for individuals already in the country. A 39-country travel ban list is being applied to residents and applicants, and nationality from those countries is treated as a "significant negative factor." The initial 197 plaintiffs include students, scientists, H-1B workers, and family-based applicants now facing uncertainty and seeking judicial relief.

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