Federal case warns policy delays could disrupt U.S. patient care, healthcare workforce, and critical work in business sectors.
Boston, MA:
A group of highly skilled professionals has filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for Massachusetts alleging that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policies are putting their ability to work at risk, raising concerns about disruptions to many critical businesses, including patient care and legal services.
The case, Abdelrahim v. Edlow, challenges USCIS policies that have effectively halted adjudication of immigration petitions and other benefits for individuals from 39 countries affected by the administration’s travel-related restrictions, leaving applicants in legal limbo despite living and working lawfully in the United States.
Filed on behalf of 17 plaintiffs, many of them in healthcare and legal services, the lawsuit argues that USCIS has imposed a sweeping, indefinite hold on immigration benefit applications and is treating nationality as a negative factor in adjudications rather than conducting individualized review.
The lawsuit was filed by a coalition of four immigration law firms working together as the Women’s Immigration Law & Litigation Organization (WILLO): Colombo & Hurd, PL; Green & Spiegel LLC; Khanbabai Immigration Law; and Ariela Lake Law & Consulting PLLC.
In healthcare settings, even short-term staffing disruptions can affect appointment availability, care continuity and hospital operations. If these petitions remain frozen, hospitals and clinics could lose critical providers with little warning. In at least one case, a physician has already been forced to stop working because his H-1B extension remains unadjudicated, disrupting his medical training and creating hardship for his family.
“Many of our plaintiffs are physicians actively treating patients in communities that already face provider shortages,” said Kerry Doyle, partner, Green & Spiegel LLC. “When their ability to work is put in limbo, it directly affects patient access, continuity of care and the stability of healthcare systems. And our non-physician plaintiffs likewise provide critical community-based services such as expertise in international disaster relief and work advancing economic mobility through technology training and workforce development in underdeveloped cities and towns. Forcing these talented and critical workers to the sidelines negatively impacts all of us.”
In another case, a pediatrician serving approximately 1,000 patients in a federally designated underserved community could be forced to stop practicing when his work authorization expires, leaving vulnerable children and families without a trusted provider.
“These are not hypothetical impacts. These are doctors with patients scheduled, procedures planned and communities depending on them,” said Sarah Wilson, partner, Colombo & Hurd. “When the government fails to act, those consequences ripple outward immediately.”
According to the complaint, the challenged policies stem from internal USCIS guidance that extended travel-related restrictions into a broad, domestic adjudication freeze affecting individuals already living in the United States. The lawsuit alleges that these policies impose a categorical hold on pending immigration benefit applications, treat nationality as a negative factor in adjudications, and operate without clear timelines, standards or individualized determinations.
“We are seeing a sweeping policy being applied without individualized review, even to highly vetted professionals already living and working in the United States,” said Mahsa Khanbabai, founder, Khanbabai Immigration Law. “That is not how the system is designed to function.”
The Women’s Immigration Law & Litigation Organization (WILLO) was formed to bring a more focused, strategic approach to high-impact immigration litigation. Rather than filing large, multi-plaintiff cases, the group is pursuing a targeted strategy designed to move more quickly through the courts and force more timely resolution on urgent legal questions.
“By bringing a smaller, highly focused case, we are positioning this for faster judicial review and a clearer resolution,” said Jessica A. Dawgert, founding partner, Ariela Lake Law & Consulting PLLC. “These delays are not just bureaucratic. They are affecting people’s careers, families and the communities that depend on them.”
The lawsuit asserts that USCIS’s actions violate federal law, including the Administrative Procedure Act, by unlawfully withholding and unreasonably delaying agency action; the Immigration and Nationality Act, including protections against nationality-based discrimination; and the Fifth Amendment, by imposing arbitrary and discriminatory barriers on individuals lawfully present in the United States.
The plaintiffs are seeking court intervention to compel USCIS to resume adjudication and comply with its legal obligations.
Attorneys representing the plaintiffs are available to speak on the legal arguments and implications of the case, the impact of immigration adjudication delays on the U.S. healthcare workforce, and broader trends in immigration policy enforcement and litigation.
About Women’s Immigration Law & Litigation Organization (WILLO)
The Women’s Immigration Law & Litigation Organization (WILLO) is a coalition of four immigration law firms: Colombo & Hurd, PL; Green & Spiegel LLC; Khanbabai Immigration Law; and Ariela Lake Law & Consulting PLLC.
WILLO brings together experienced female litigators to challenge unlawful government actions affecting high-skilled immigrants, employers, and critical sectors such as healthcare and scientific research. The alliance was formed to deliver a more focused, agile approach to litigation, advancing cases efficiently and pursuing timely resolution for clients facing urgent legal barriers.
About Colombo & Hurd
Colombo & Hurd is a leading U.S. immigration law firm representing high-skilled professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, institutions, and employers. The firm’s federal litigation practice is focused on challenging government actions that prevent the lawful immigration of professionals to the United States.
About Green & Spiegel LLC
Green & Spiegel is a law firm specializing in North American immigration law. The U.S. head office is in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with offices in Colorado, Ohio, Rhode Island, Florida and Boston. The Canadian head office is in Toronto, and the Business Development office is in Amsterdam. From large corporate employee transfers to difficult family sponsorships, humanitarian applications for permanent residence and sports-specific immigration, Green & Spiegel is a full-service firm and their professionals have been recognized as industry leaders.
About Khanbabai Immigration Law
Khanbabai Immigration Law is a boutique immigration law firm focusing on health care workers, employment-based immigration and consular visa processing issues. The firm provides clients with advanced immigration solutions that meet the complicated needs of their global workforce with a particular focus on individuals from the MENA region and the Global South.
About Ariela Lake Law & Consulting PLLC
Ariela Lake Law & Consulting is a boutique law firm focused on serving individuals, companies, organizations, and attorneys in federal court. With decades of experience litigating in federal courts across the country, Ariela Lake provides expert representation in federal court on any immigration matter and also can mentor and support attorneys who are new to federal litigation on immigration matters.
