By Nate Raymond
BOSTON, Oct 27 (Reuters) – A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked US President Donald Trump’s administration from implementing a new rule that would cut the amount of time refugees have to contest decisions to strip them of their legal status to 10 days from 30 days.
• US District Judge Julia Kobick in Boston issued an order that through November 6 puts on hold the rule issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services on October 14
• Refugee advocacy groups sought the order as part of a lawsuit filed on Monday challenging the rule and a plan for a broader review of refugees
• Kobick said the USCIS rule should be put on hold to preserve the status quo until the case could be heard by a colleague
• Erez Reuveni of Democracy Forward, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the decision “provides meaningful protection for people who were already facing termination notices”
• The US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS, did not respond to a request for comment
• DHS had estimated the new rule would affect as many as 186,000 refugees
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
