A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Donald Trump administration’s attempt to strip tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of their right to work in the United States.
District Judge Nathaniel Gorton of the United States District Court in Boston sided with a coalition of civil rights organizations and unions that had requested the court to halt the implementation of a series of new rules from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). These rules were designed to enforce new immigration restrictions passed by Congress last year. Judge Gorton‘s ruling will remain in effect until he decides whether to impose a permanent injunction against the Trump administration’s policy. He plans to make a final decision on this matter by August 5. USCIS did not respond to a request for comment.
Restrictions and legal arguments
Trump‘s sweeping tax and spending law, passed by the Republican-majority Congress in July 2025, introduced a fee for asylum applications for the first time and restricted employment rights for individuals with TPS status. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) allows migrants from countries affected by war, natural disasters, or other crises to live and work in the United States while it remains unsafe for them to return home. The Trump administration sought to terminate TPS for citizens of more than a dozen countries as part of a stricter immigration policy. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed this termination for thousands of immigrants from Haiti and Syria.
Plaintiffs in the case, filed by the liberal legal organization Democracy Forward, argued that USCIS illegally implemented provisions of the new law and that these rules should therefore be suspended. Specifically, the policy could have led to thousands of people with TPS status from El Salvador, Sudan, and Ukraine losing their right to work as early as mid-year. According to the plaintiffs, the new rules also illegally shorten the validity period of work permits for individuals with TPS status, retroactively applying new restrictions to citizens of El Salvador, Sudan, and Ukraine.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, stated that “Judge Gorton’s decision ensures that thousands of families will not lose their livelihoods while the courts consider the legality of the administration’s policy.” Although the administration has terminated TPS for several other countries, it extended this status for citizens of El Salvador, Sudan, and Ukraine in January. For El Salvador, it is valid until September 9, and for Sudan and Ukraine, until October 19.
Procedural violations and fee decisions
The plaintiffs also argued that the new USCIS rules are invalid because the public was not properly notified and did not have the opportunity to submit comments before their adoption, as required by the Administrative Procedure Act. Furthermore, they contend that USCIS retroactively applied the provisions of the 2025 law regarding work permits for individuals with TPS status without the appropriate legislative authority to do so.
Judge Gorton on Tuesday refused to temporarily ban USCIS from collecting the new fee but ruled that the agency cannot revoke the work permits of those who have not paid it or impose other sanctions on them. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Boston, a venue often chosen to challenge Trump‘s policies. The case is being heard by Judge Gorton, who was appointed by Republican President George H.W. Bush.
Source: The Straits Times
