In her 56-page ruling, District Judge Beryl Howell noted that the president has "broad powers" that allow him to take action against "threats to the economic and national security of the United States." The tariff was announced in September, with notification coming just 36 hours before it took effect, causing confusion in the business community, which did not understand how the new system would work and who it would affect.
This innovation is part of broader measures to tighten immigration policy that Trump is implementing upon his return to the White House. Previously, the restrictions mainly concerned illegal immigration, but now they also affect the H-1B program, which is crucial for the U.S. technology sector.
Trump claims that some employers abuse the H-1B visa by replacing American specialists with foreigners willing to accept lower wages. Each year, 85,000 such visas are issued in the U.S. through a lottery, and about 75% of them go to citizens of India.
Criticism of the new fee has come from representatives of the tech industry, including Elon Musk, a former Trump ally, who noted that there is a severe shortage of skilled labor in the American market.
A lawsuit against the new tariff has been filed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Association of American Universities, which represents 69 research universities in the country.
It is worth noting that the Chamber of Commerce is traditionally considered an ally of the Republicans and spent over $76 million on lobbying and about $6 million supporting Republican candidates and political groups in 2024.
Currently, at least two other lawsuits are ongoing against the $100,000 fee for H-1B application processing.
On the eve of Christmas, the White House launched an animation in which President Trump holds a "naughty list" with the names of illegal immigrants.
“Santa's naughty list is the worst of the worst, a low-fi version. No coal. Just deportation,” the White House wrote on social media platform X, attaching a link to a broadcast that has been running for over nine hours.
[media=https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2003586519374717151?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw]
In the AI-generated video, Trump is depicted with this list against the backdrop of a Christmas tree and fireplace.
In some countries where Catholic Christmas is celebrated, there is a tradition that Santa gives coal to naughty children.
