Nearly 200 immigrants — including six from Massachusetts — are suing the federal government after their immigration applications were abruptly paused following the expansion of the Trump administration’s travel ban.
Friday’s lawsuit targets U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which halted the processing of green cards, citizenship applications, and asylum petitions last month. The move came just one day after the administration essentially doubled the number of countries affected by its travel ban, now covering 39 countries and Palestine, with 20 of those nations facing partial restrictions.
Immigration attorney Jim Hacking represents 197 plaintiffs in the case and argues the government is violating immigration law.
“They love to talk about how immigrants allegedly don’t follow the law but they’re the ones who aren’t following the law,” Hacking said of the administration.
Hacking said his clients have already passed extensive background checks and met all legal requirements to remain on track toward citizenship.
Milad Zaki, who is helping his Egyptian parents become U.S. citizens, supports the expanded travel ban and the pause in applications.
“Generally, this is a safe country. I want to keep it safe, keep it nice,” Zaki said.
Zaki said immigration decisions should prioritize security, even if that means delays.
“If you have a house and you open your house and you don’t know who goes inside your house; you have to choose who can go inside your house,” he added.
The Trump administration has defended the policy, with the Department of Homeland Security saying:
“This is another baseless lawsuit that attempts to usurp the President’s lawful authority in determining who enters this country. USCIS has paused all adjudications for aliens from high-risk countries while USCIS works to ensure that all aliens from these countries are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The pause will allow for a comprehensive examination of all pending benefit requests for aliens from the designated high-risk countries. The safety of the American people always come first.”
Hacking disputes that explanation and says many of his clients were already approved before being removed from the process. He says a judge could issue a ruling on the lawsuit within the next week or two.