Judge pauses work permit cuts for asylum seekers and TPS holders
A federal judge put a temporary hold on USCIS rules that could have cost tens of thousands of immigrants their authorization to work.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
A federal judge in the United States has temporarily stopped the Trump administration from enforcing work-permit penalties against tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status. The order matters because the contested rules could have taken effect as early as Wednesday, putting jobs at risk while a legal challenge proceeds, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
US District Judge Nathaniel Gorton issued the five-page order on Tuesday after immigrant rights groups and labour unions challenged recent US Citizenship and Immigration Services policies. Gorton said the plaintiffs faced potentially serious harm and left the temporary order in place while he weighs whether to issue a longer injunction, with a decision expected by August 5, according to the report.
The lawsuit was filed earlier this month by a coalition represented by Democracy Forward. The groups are contesting USCIS changes tied to immigration restrictions Congress approved last year, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported.
What the lawsuit challenges
One disputed policy lets USCIS reject pending asylum applications and cancel work authorization when applicants do not pay a newly created annual asylum fee. The lawsuit also challenges the agency's decision to end a long-standing requirement that initial asylum work permit applications be processed within 30 days, according to the report.
The plaintiffs argued that USCIS adopted the changes without the public comment process required by law. They also challenged applying the new rules retroactively to people from El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine who remain covered by Temporary Protected Status.
TPS allows people from countries hit by war, natural disasters or other major emergencies to live and work lawfully in the US until officials determine it is safe for them to return. Under Gorton's order, thousands of TPS holders from El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine can keep working while the case continues, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported.
The ruling did not stop the government from collecting the asylum fee. It did, however, temporarily block USCIS from imposing penalties for nonpayment, including rejecting an asylum application or terminating a work permit, according to the report.
Broader immigration fight
Democracy Forward president Skye Perryman said the order protects asylum seekers and TPS holders from immediate harm while the lawsuit moves ahead. Perryman said families who relied on humanitarian protections faced losing employment authorization and the ability to support themselves, according to the statement cited by Al Jazeera and Reuters.
The contested provisions were included in President Donald Trump's major tax and spending law, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which the Republican-controlled Congress passed in July 2025, according to the report.
The Trump administration has made ending TPS protections a major part of its immigration policy, moving to remove the status from people from more than a dozen countries. Last month, the US Supreme Court allowed the administration to end protections for thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants, Al Jazeera and Reuters reported.
USCIS did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.