Judge blocks Biden-era rule that allowed indefinite closures of deportation cases

Published June 23, 2026 11:38am ET | Updated June 23, 2026 11:38am ET



A federal judge in Texas on Monday blocked a Biden administration immigration rule that allowed judges to close deportation proceedings indefinitely, ending the policy the same day Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and a conservative legal group challenged it in court.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, a nominee of former President George W. Bush, entered a final consent judgment vacating the rule after the Trump administration’s Justice Department agreed with Texas that the regulation should be set aside. The sequence of events brought the litigation to a close within hours of its filing, marking a major win for President Donald Trump‘s immigration enforcement agenda.

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