Federal Judge Halts Trump's Immigration Restrictions on Services

A federal judge on Wednesday issued a ruling that blocks the Trump administration from enacting new immigration-related restrictions prohibiting undocumented migrants from accessing federally funded services such as Head Start preschools, health clinics, and food banks.

U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Providence, Rhode Island, granted a preliminary injunction requested by 21 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia. The judge's decision halts the implementation of policies introduced by several U.S. agencies as part of President Trump's immigration agenda aimed at requiring states to verify applicants' legal status before offering certain services.

The ruling challenges the administration's reinterpretation of a 1996 immigration law and comes after New York Attorney General Letitia James and others argued that past administrations correctly exempted certain programs from legal status checks. This move to block the policy represents a significant pushback as millions of families would be affected.

(With inputs from agencies.)