The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland granted the plaintiffs? motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO), blocking USCIS?s May 31, 2019, memo regarding updated procedures for asylum applications filed by unaccompanied children (UACs) from being implemented for 14 days from the issuance of the court?s order. The court found that the plaintiffs and those similarly situated to them are likely to succeed on their claim that the new UAC asylum determination policy violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The court also concluded that the plaintiffs were likely to experience irreparable harm if the new policy was not enjoined and that the balance of harms favored temporary injunctive relief. The court ordered USCIS to retract any adverse decision already rendered in an individual case applying the new memo and to reinstate the asylum seekers? cases under the previous policy. (J.O.P., et al. v. DHS, et al., 8/2/19)
