Court vacates USCIS asylum and benefits adjudication holds (39 countries)

Status: Decided — Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (D.R.I. No. 1:26-cv-00132-JJM-PAS (on appeal: 1st Cir. No. 26-1703))

On June 5, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted summary judgment for the plaintiffs and ruled four USCIS policies unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act: the Global Asylum Hold, the Benefits Hold, the Comprehensive Re-Review, and the Country-Specific Factors policies (PM 602-0192, PM 602-0194, and PA 2025-26). The court vacated and set aside all four. Final judgment was entered June 11, 2026, making the vacatur effective immediately and agency-wide, and USCIS announced it is complying — the holds are no longer in effect. On June 12, 2026 the government filed a notice of appeal to the First Circuit (No. 26-1703), and on June 19 it asked the district court to pause (stay) its ruling during the appeal; the plaintiffs' response was due July 6, 2026. As of July 16, 2026 no stay has been granted, so the policies remain vacated. The court denied the plaintiffs' request for a permanent injunction and did not reach their constitutional claims.

Next step: The plaintiffs' July 6, 2026 response deadline has passed and, as of July 16, 2026, the district court has not granted a stay — USCIS's Court Order on Hold Policies alert (last updated June 12, 2026) confirms it is complying and treating the four policies as not in effect. If a stay is later granted, USCIS could pause the affected adjudications again. Separately, the appeal continues at the First Circuit (No. 26-1703).

Verified against the primary source as of 2026-07-25 — status can change with a single court ruling. Official source.

What’s happening

On June 5, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted summary judgment for the plaintiffs and ruled four USCIS policies unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act: the Global Asylum Hold, the Benefits Hold, the Comprehensive Re-Review, and the Country-Specific Factors policies (PM 602-0192, PM 602-0194, and PA 2025-26). The court vacated and set aside all four. Final judgment was entered June 11, 2026, making the vacatur effective immediately and agency-wide, and USCIS announced it is complying — the holds are no longer in effect. On June 12, 2026 the government filed a notice of appeal to the First Circuit (No. 26-1703), and on June 19 it asked the district court to pause (stay) its ruling during the appeal; the plaintiffs’ response was due July 6, 2026. As of July 16, 2026 no stay has been granted, so the policies remain vacated. The court denied the plaintiffs’ request for a permanent injunction and did not reach their constitutional claims.

Who it affects

People from 39 “travel-ban” countries — which include large Cuban, Haitian, and Venezuelan communities — whose green-card (adjustment of status), work-permit (EAD), naturalization, and other USCIS benefit applications had been frozen, plus anyone with a pending asylum or withholding-of-removal case, since that hold applied regardless of nationality. With the policies vacated, USCIS is again issuing decisions on these applications and is no longer re-reviewing already-approved cases or weighing country of origin as an automatic negative factor. This restores normal processing; it does not change who qualifies for any benefit.

How it got here

  1. Dec 2, 2025 USCIS issues policy memorandum PM 602-0192, placing an indefinite hold on all pending asylum and withholding-of-removal applications (regardless of nationality) and on benefit applications from nationals of designated 'high-risk' countries, and ordering re-review of already-approved cases.
  2. Dec 16, 2025 Proclamation 10998 expands the travel-restriction list to 39 countries — including Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela — the list USCIS used for the benefits hold and the country-of-origin negative factor.
  3. Jun 5, 2026 Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. grants summary judgment for the plaintiffs, declares all four challenged policies unlawful under the APA, and vacates and sets them aside; he denies a permanent injunction.
  4. Jun 11, 2026 The court enters final judgment; the vacatur takes effect immediately and agency-wide, and USCIS announces it is complying and resuming adjudications.
  5. Jun 19, 2026 After filing its notice of appeal to the First Circuit on June 12 (No. 26-1703), the government asks the district court to stay its ruling pending appeal; no stay has been granted as of July 16, 2026.

What to watch next

The plaintiffs’ July 6, 2026 response deadline has passed and, as of July 16, 2026, the district court has not granted a stay — USCIS’s Court Order on Hold Policies alert (last updated June 12, 2026) confirms it is complying and treating the four policies as not in effect. If a stay is later granted, USCIS could pause the affected adjudications again. Separately, the appeal continues at the First Circuit (No. 26-1703).

Official sources

This page is general information about ongoing litigation, not legal advice. A case’s status can change with a single ruling, and outcomes can turn on facts specific to each person. For advice on a specific situation, consult a licensed immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative.