A federal judge in Boston on Tuesday temporarily stopped the Trump administration from stripping tens of thousands of asylum seekers and Temporary Protected Status holders of their work permits, keeping paychecks flowing for now while a major court fight plays out. The order, issued by U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, bars U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from canceling employment authorization or imposing penalties tied to a newly created asylum fee.
As reported by Reuters, Gorton’s order enjoins USCIS from revoking Employment Authorization Documents and from taking other punitive steps against people who do not pay the fee. He did, however, decline to block the agency from actually collecting the new asylum charge while the court weighs the case, so filing costs themselves are still going up even as some of the harshest consequences are on hold.
Democracy Forward and a coalition of labor unions filed the lawsuit attacking the agency policies that, they argue, reject pending asylum applications and terminate work permits when applicants miss the annual fee or when automatic EAD extensions are shortened. The plaintiffs’ July 1 press release casts the litigation as a bid to shield workers and families who would otherwise suddenly lose their livelihoods, according to Democracy Forward.
The contested agency moves stem from provisions in a sweeping July 2025 spending and reconciliation package that created the asylum application fee and tightened rules for employment authorization, per analysis by the Brookings Institution. Advocates warn that the new statutory framework, combined with fresh USCIS procedures, could leave people abruptly without work authorization unless courts step in.
Who Gets A Reprieve And Who Is Still At Risk
Gorton’s ruling shields asylum seekers and TPS beneficiaries from immediate revocation of work permits while the court reviews the legality of USCIS’s new rules. The decision lands in a tense legal environment: the Supreme Court recently cleared the administration to proceed with ending TPS for Haitians and Syrians, a shift that raises the stakes for hundreds of thousands, as reported by the L.A. Times. At the same time, federal notices show that some TPS designations remain in place through late 2026 for countries including Sudan and Ukraine and through September 9, 2026 for El Salvador, according to official Federal Register materials.
What Happens Next In Court
The judge set additional proceedings to decide whether to extend the temporary pause. Gorton is scheduled to consider a longer-term injunction on Aug. 5 in Boston, according to Reuters. The government can ask an appeals court for a stay, and any final decision could be appealed further, so this order stabilizes things for now but does not resolve the fight over the underlying policies.
Advocates And Unions Claim Crucial Win, For Now
Immigrant-rights groups and labor unions welcomed the breathing room. As Democracy Forward put it, the administration’s changes “threaten thousands of people’s ability to work and support their families,” a warning echoed by unions representing many of the affected workers. For them, the ruling is less a victory lap than a timeout in what they see as a high-stakes contest over who is allowed to stay on the job.
What Workers And Employers Need To Know Right Now
For workers, this is interim relief, not a permanent fix. People whose EADs are at risk are being urged to keep copies of receipts and renewal filings and to consult legal counsel. Employers, meanwhile, are advised to follow USCIS and I-9 guidance rather than rely only on the printed expiration date on an older card. For the latest alerts and employer instructions, the safest bet is to watch the USCIS website and I-9 Central for agency updates as the litigation moves forward.
