USA21 July, 20262 min read
Federal Judge Nathaniel Gorton Blocks Trump Administration From Revoking TPS Work Permits
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Judge Nathaniel Gorton temporarily blocks revoking work permits for TPS recipients and asylum seekers. Injunction pauses retroactive time limits and asylum fees added in 2025.
Judge blocks work-permit cuts
A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from stripping tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) of their ability to work in the United States.
U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton sided with a coalition of immigrant rights groups and labour unions that sued to block US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from moving forward with policies meant to implement new immigration-related restrictions enacted by Congress last year.
The dispute centers on a July 2025 tax and spending law that, for the first time, imposed fees to apply for asylum and restricted employment authorization for people with TPS.
Gorton’s order was set to remain in place until he decided whether to issue a longer-term pause, and he said he would rule on that by Aug 5.
The case also raised the possibility that thousands of TPS holders from El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine could lose their ability to work starting on Wednesday.
Perryman calls it livelihood shield
Democracy Forward framed the ruling as a safeguard against immediate job losses while courts consider the legality of the administration’s policies.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said, "The court’s ruling ensures that thousands of families will not lose their livelihoods and their peace of mind while the courts consider the legality of these policies," in a statement tied to the stay.
The legal challenge argued that USCIS unlawfully implemented provisions of the 2025 law and that the policies needed to be halted, particularly one that could lead to thousands of TPS holders from El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine losing their right to work.
Gorton declined to block USCIS from collecting the fee for now, but said the agency cannot strip people who fail to pay it of work permits or impose other penalties.
The ruling also addressed how new time limits and asylum fees would be applied, with Bloomberg Law noting that the stay barred retroactive application until at least Aug. 5.
TPS deadlines and what’s at risk
While the court order paused the threatened work-permit changes, the sources tied the immediate stakes to specific TPS validity dates for El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine.
TPS remains valid for El Salvador through Sept 9 and for Sudan and Ukraine through Oct 19, according to the reporting that described the administration’s push to end TPS for people from more than a dozen countries.
The litigation also referenced the U.S. Supreme Court’s last-month decision allowing the administration to act against thousands of Haitian and Syrian immigrants, setting a broader context for TPS restrictions.
Bloomberg Law reported that USCIS regulations capped the duration of employment authorization documents at one year for TPS holders and mandated that asylum seekers pay a new $100 annual fee, with TPS holders potentially seeing work permits expire Wednesday.
In the near term, the sources said Gorton’s provisional order would remain in effect while he decided whether to extend the pause, with a final decision expected by Aug 5.