U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta blocked a Trump administration policy that froze green-card applications from several dozen countries [1].
The ruling removes a significant barrier for thousands of legal immigration applicants who were previously barred from pursuing permanent residency. This decision represents a major setback for the administration's broader immigration strategy by limiting the executive branch's ability to unilaterally freeze visa processing.
Judge Mehta said the policy was unlawful under the Immigration and Nationality Act [2]. The court found that the State Department's "public charge" rule, which served as the basis for the freeze, exceeded the authority granted to the agency by federal law [3].
Reports on the scope of the freeze vary. Some sources said the policy affected 75 countries [1], while other reports indicate the number of affected nations was 39 [4]. The ruling in the Washington, D.C. federal court effectively halts the enforcement of these restrictions across the board.
The decision comes after legal challenges argued that the administration lacked the statutory power to suspend green-card applications based on the public charge rule. By striking down the freeze, the court ensures that applicants from the affected regions can once again seek permanent residency in the U.S. [1].
The ruling was reported in June 2026 [4]. It marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing legal battle over the administration's use of executive orders to reshape U.S. immigration law.
“Judge Mehta said the policy was unlawful under the Immigration and Nationality Act.”
This ruling reinforces the principle that executive agencies cannot create restrictive immigration policies that contradict or exceed the authority established by Congress in the Immigration and Nationality Act. By invalidating the 'public charge' justification for the freeze, the court has limited the administration's ability to use secondary regulatory rules to bypass standard visa processing laws.
