A US federal judge issued a temporary injunction preventing the Trump administration from implementing policies that would revoke work permits for tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants holding Temporary Protected Status. The order was issued by US District Judge Nathaniel Gorton on Tuesday, blocking enforcement of new regulations established by US Citizenship and Immigration Services that were scheduled to take effect as soon as Wednesday.
The legal challenge was brought by a coalition of immigrant rights groups and labour unions represented by Democracy Forward against multiple USCIS policy changes. The contested regulations include a requirement that asylum applicants pay a newly created annual fee or face rejection of their pending applications and revocation of existing work permits. Additionally, the administration eliminated a longstanding requirement that initial asylum work permit applications be processed within 30 days. The lawsuit contended that USCIS implemented these changes without obtaining public input as mandated by law.
The injunction specifically addresses the retroactive application of these rules to nationals from El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine who maintain Temporary Protected Status protections. TPS allows individuals from countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disasters or other severe crises to reside and work legally in the United States pending conditions that would allow safe return. The ruling enables thousands of TPS holders to continue employment while litigation proceeds.
While the judge did not block collection of the asylum fee itself, the temporary order prevents the administration from imposing penalties such as application rejection or work permit termination for nonpayment. Democracy Forward’s president characterized the ruling as protecting vulnerable populations from sudden loss of employment authorization and economic hardship. The controversial provisions originated from legislation enacted by the Republican-controlled Congress in July 2025. The Trump administration has prioritized ending TPS protections as a core element of its immigration policy agenda, and the Supreme Court previously authorized termination of protections for Haitian and Syrian immigrants. A decision on whether to issue a longer-term injunction is expected by August 5.