Good News As US Judge Blocks Trump From Revoking Work Permits for TPS Immigrants and Asylum Seekers
- A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the Trump administration from stripping work authorisation from tens of thousands of immigrants with Temporary Protected Status
- US District Judge Nathaniel Gorton sided with immigrant rights groups and labour unions that challenged policies stemming from Trump's tax and spending law passed in July 2025
- The judge set an August 5 deadline to rule on whether to extend the pause on the administration's immigration employment restrictions
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A federal judge has temporarily halted President Donald Trump's administration from removing work permit rights from tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants holding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States of America (USA).
Source: Getty Images
The latest development comes as a big relief for some immigrants, including Ghanaians working in the US.
According to a Reuters report, US District Judge Nathaniel Gorton, sitting in Boston, ruled on Tuesday, July 22, 2026 , in favour of a coalition of immigrant rights organisations and labour unions that filed a lawsuit against US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The groups sought to prevent the agency from enforcing a set of policies that flow from new immigration-related legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Congress.
What triggered the work permit legal challenge?
The dispute centres on President Donald Trump's landmark tax and spending bill, signed into law in July 2025, which for the first time introduced fees for asylum applications and placed restrictions on employment authorisation for TPS holders.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a designation that allows nationals from countries affected by armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions to live and work legally in the United States while conditions at home remain dangerous.
The Trump administration has aggressively pursued an end to TPS protections for migrants from more than a dozen countries as part of its broader immigration crackdown.
Last month, the US Supreme Court permitted the administration to proceed with terminating TPS for thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants.
Judge sets August 5 deadline for longer ruling
Judge Gorton's order will remain in force while he considers whether to issue a more extended injunction against the US work permit revocation policy.
He indicated he would deliver that decision by 5 August 2026.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had not responded to requests for comment at the time the ruling was reported.
The ruling offers a temporary reprieve to a significant number of migrants whose right to earn a living in the country had been under threat, though the broader legal battle over the administration's immigration agenda is far from settled.
The Instagram post detailing the judge's temporary order on Trump's work permit revocation is below:
DHS orders employers to dismiss immigrant workers
Earlier, YEN.com.gh detailed the U.S. DHS directive for employers to dismiss immigrant workers holding Temporary Protected Status as their work permits approach expiration.
This crucial decision followed a Supreme Court ruling that endorsed the termination of TPS protections, leaving many vulnerable to deportation amid ongoing crises in their home countries.
Source: YEN.com.gh
