Two advocacy groups filed a federal lawsuit on Monday, April 20, 2026, challenging a Trump administration policy that ended automatic extensions for immigrant work permits.
The legal action, brought by Public Citizen Litigation Group and the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project (ASAP), argues the sudden policy shift threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of legal workers.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on behalf of “Jane Doe,” a Mexican citizen who has lived in the U.S. for a decade. A survivor of domestic violence with legal status under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Doe is the sole provider for her eight-year-old daughter, a U.S. citizen.
Since 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has granted automatic extensions to workers who timely filed for renewals but faced long processing backlogs.
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This “buffer” was designed to prevent legal employees from being forced out of their jobs simply because the government had not yet finished its paperwork.
In October 2025, the administration issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that halted these extensions immediately. Consequently, workers like the plaintiff, whose permit expires in June 2026, face an immediate loss of work authorization despite having filed for renewal in November 2025.
“For decades, federal immigration officials have understood that immigrant workers should not be forced out of the workforce solely because the government failed to process their work permit applications quickly enough,” said Stephanie Garlock, an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group.
The legal complaint alleges the administration bypassed required procedures for public input and failed to consider the economic impact on families and employers. It further argues the rule is “arbitrary and capricious,” noting that as of September 2025, over 395,000 renewal applications had been pending for more than six months.
Government officials cited national security and vetting concerns as the rationale for the change. However, the lawsuit notes that these applicants have already been vetted to receive their initial permits and that a lapse in a work document does not change an individual’s underlying legal status.
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“Our client is one of many immigrant workers living in fear of losing their job because of the government’s decision to eliminate work permit extensions,” said Juan Bedoya, Litigation Staff Attorney at ASAP. “Immigrants working legally and contributing to their local U.S. communities are now feeling the consequences of the government’s rash and illegal move.”
The plaintiff stated she filed the suit not only for her own family’s stability but to restore the extension policy for all affected workers. “I could soon lose my jobs because the government abruptly ended automatic work permit extensions, which I have relied on in the past to keep working,” she said.
The lawsuit seeks to have the court vacate the 2025 rule and prevent the government from enforcing the policy, which the groups claim will cost billions in lost earnings and employer turnover expenses.
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