Overview
- A U.S. district judge in Boston issued an emergency order on Tuesday that temporarily bars USCIS from rejecting pending asylum applications, terminating work permits, or starting removal proceedings for failure to pay a new asylum fee.
- The order does not stop USCIS from collecting the annual asylum fee but prevents penalties tied to nonpayment; the judge said he will decide whether to extend the pause by August 5.
- Separately, a federal appeals court issued a brief extension of Haitian TPS protections through Monday, July 27, giving roughly 300,000–350,000 Haitian nationals a short reprieve from losing work authorization and deportation risk.
- Local officials and advocates warn ending TPS would remove thousands of essential workers from health care and long‑term care and could cost billions in economic activity, with state-level estimates showing sizable workforce losses in places such as Indiana and South Florida.
- Plaintiffs say USCIS adopted interim policies without formal notice that scrap a 30‑day rule for initial asylum work permits and apply new fee and eligibility rules retroactively; the case is now moving through lower courts even as Congress considers bills to extend protections.