A U.S. district judge in Maryland temporarily blocked Trump administration policies that shortened notice and restricted rescheduling for unaccompanied children's asylum interviews, ruling the measures violated federal child-protection laws. The decision follows legal action by immigrant advocacy groups and coincides with scrutiny over Chicago Immigration Judge Shawn Abraham, who has overseen expedited deportation hearings for abused and abandoned children nationwide.
Injunction against fast-track asylum policies
- ▪Legal service providers, including the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights and The Door, requested the injunction against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in federal court.
- ▪U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson issued a temporary restraining order on October 30, 2026, blocking federal policies that fast-track asylum cases for unaccompanied children.
- ▪Judge Brendan Hurson ordered U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to reinstate prior asylum policies until November 13, 2026, while considering a longer-term injunction.
Legal grounds for judge Hurson's ruling
- ▪U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson ruled that shortened asylum interview notices violated the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008.
- ▪U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson found that stricter asylum interview rescheduling rules violated the federal Administrative Procedure Act.
USCIS policy changes for asylum interviews
- ▪U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services restricted asylum interview rescheduling for unaccompanied children to cases demonstrating exceptional circumstances.
- ▪U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services adopted policies in August and September 2026 eliminating the 21-day advance notice requirement for unaccompanied children's asylum interviews.
Deportation hearings conducted by Judge Abraham
- ▪U.S. Immigration Judge Shawn Abraham conducted remote hearings on October 29, 2026, for children aged 6 to 16, continuing the cases for one to two weeks.
- ▪Chicago-based U.S. Immigration Judge Shawn Abraham presided over deportation cases involving abused, neglected, or abandoned children reassigned from multiple states.
Executive Office for Immigration Review statement
- ▪The Executive Office for Immigration Review stated that prior leadership may have allowed certain immigration cases to languish indefinitely in violation of the law.
- ▪The Executive Office for Immigration Review stated that federal immigration courts are legally required to resolve cases expeditiously and adjust scheduling as judges are added.
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