Court Blocks Revocation of Work Permits: What TPS and Asylum EAD Holders in the Lehigh Valley Should Know

On July 22, 2026, a federal judge in Boston stepped in just one day before a set of new rules would have stripped work authorization from thousands of immigrants. For many families in Allentown and across the Lehigh Valley, the difference between a valid Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and an expired one is the difference between keeping a job and losing a paycheck. If you hold Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or have a pending asylum case, here is what the ruling does, what it does not do, and the steps you should take right now.

What the Court Actually Decided

U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, issued temporary emergency relief blocking several of the harshest consequences of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), the tax-and-spending law signed in July 2025. That law created a new annual asylum application fee and, separately, authorized the government to cut short the validity of certain work permits. Judge Gorton’s order, issued the day before the changes were set to take effect, temporarily halts three specific actions: rejecting asylum applications for non-payment of the new fee, terminating work permits on that basis, and placing people into removal proceedings for the same reason. The coalition that brought the case — including the National TPS Alliance, the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, the Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts, and the labor unions SEIU and 32BJ SEIU, represented by Democracy Forward — asked the court to preserve the status quo while the lawsuit moves forward.

Who Is Protected

Two groups benefit most directly. First, TPS holders — in this case beneficiaries from El Salvador, Sudan, and Ukraine — whose EADs the government had planned to retroactively shorten. The order restores their previous, longer expiration dates rather than issuing brand-new extensions, which means the cards you already hold should read as valid through the dates printed on them. Second, asylum applicants who had not paid the newly created annual fee. USCIS is now blocked, for the moment, from rejecting their applications, canceling their work permits, or starting deportation cases solely because that fee went unpaid.

What the Ruling Does Not Do

It is just as important to understand the limits. The judge did not strike down the asylum fee itself — USCIS may still collect it, and you should not assume it has gone away. The order also did not restore the prior 30-day processing timeline for first-time work-permit applications, so initial EADs can still take longer than they once did. And this is temporary relief, not a final decision. Judge Gorton has said he will rule on a longer-term injunction by August 5, 2026. Depending on that ruling — and any appeal — the protections could be extended, narrowed, or lifted. In other words, do not treat this as permanent, and do not let any renewal deadline slip because you assume the courts have your back.

Does This Affect Green Card Holders or Citizens?

No. This ruling is narrow. It concerns TPS-based and asylum-based work authorization and the new asylum fee. If you are a lawful permanent resident, a U.S. citizen, or hold a green card through marriage or another family petition, your status is not touched by this order. The reason it still matters to so many Lehigh Valley families is that households are often mixed — one spouse may be adjusting status while the other works on a TPS or asylum EAD — so a policy aimed at one member can affect the whole family’s income.

Why This Matters in the Lehigh Valley

The Lehigh Valley is home to a large and growing immigrant workforce — in warehousing and logistics along the Route 22 and I-78 corridors, and in food processing, construction, healthcare, and hospitality across Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. Many of these workers are here lawfully on TPS or with pending asylum claims, and their ability to stay employed depends entirely on a current EAD. When a work permit lapses — even because of a paperwork rule tied up in litigation hundreds of miles away — Pennsylvania employers running E-Verify may feel forced to suspend or terminate otherwise valued employees. A ruling out of Boston, in a case brought on behalf of national organizations, reaches right into hiring decisions being made here in Lehigh County.

What TPS and Asylum EAD Holders Should Do Now

Keep every document you have. Carry your current EAD and your most recent USCIS notices, and make copies of both. If you have received any notice suggesting your work authorization is ending early, do not throw it away — bring it to a lawyer. Do not let renewals lapse: file EAD renewals as early as USCIS allows, because a court order that pauses one policy does not extend your card’s printed expiration date. If your employer questions your status because of the July changes, ask them to hold off on any action and to speak with counsel, since taking a job away based on a paused policy can create its own legal problems. And watch for the August 5 ruling, which will tell us whether these protections hold.

What Lehigh Valley Employers Should Know

If you employ TPS holders or asylum applicants, the safest course while this stay is in effect is to avoid adverse action — termination, suspension, or re-verification demands — based solely on the July 22 implementation dates. An EAD that the court has effectively restored remains a valid document for Form I-9 purposes. Because the situation may change after early August, employers with affected workers should document their good-faith reliance on the court’s order and consult an immigration attorney before making personnel decisions.

How Our Allentown Team Can Help

Immigration law is moving quickly right now, and general news coverage cannot tell you how a nationwide order applies to your specific card, your specific deadline, and your specific employer. At Lehigh Valley Immigration Law, we help TPS holders and asylum seekers keep their work authorization current, respond to confusing USCIS notices, and plan for what happens after the court rules in August. If you or someone in your family is worried about a work permit, contact our office for a free, confidential consultation, in English or Spanish.

Your ability to work is worth protecting. Speak with our Allentown team today.

Call (484) 763-4984 — Free Consultation (EN/ES)

This article is for general information only, is current as of July 2026, and does not constitute legal advice. Immigration and work-authorization law is changing rapidly and the court order described here is temporary. Reading this does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific case, consult a licensed immigration attorney. Lehigh Valley Immigration Law LLC, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

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