A judge has restored federal protections for gray wolves across much of the U.S. after they were removed in the waning days of the Trump administration.

U.S. government attorneys have asked a federal judge to uphold a decision from the waning days of the Trump administration that lifted protections for gray wolves across most of the country.

In April, Trump imposed a ban on green cards issued abroad that largely targets family members of people already in the United States. A temporary ban on non-essential travel across the Mexican and Canadian borders was also done for public health. In December, a federal judge in Oakland, California, prevented the green-card ban from taking effect against families of 181 U.S. citizens and legal residents who sued. A federal judge blocked the rule from taking effect almost immediately after it was announced in October 2019. The ruling “makes clear that the Biden administration must move swiftly to rescind all of President Trump’s xenophobic presidential proclamations, including this health care ban,” she said.

The U.S. issues up to 85,000 H-1B visas each year in sectors including technology, engineering and medicine. Most of the nearly 600,000 H-1B visa holders in the U.S. are from India and China. The H-1B rules announced weeks before the election were part of President Donald Trump's wider agenda to curb nearly all forms of immigration. In June, he issued an order temporarily suspending the H-1B program until the end of the year. "This is incredibly important decision to preserve the H-1B program,” said attorney Paul Hughes, who represented the plaintiffs.

FILE - In this Feb. 4, 2019, photo, Leo Wang packs a suitcase at his home in San Jose, Calif. Wang has found himself trapped in an obstacle course regarding H-1B work visas for foreigners. His visa denied and his days in the United States numbered, A federal judge on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020, temporarily lifted a visa ban on a large number of work permits, undercutting a measure that the Trump administration says will protect American jobs in a pandemic-wracked economy. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)SAN DIEGO – A judge on Thursday temporarily lifted a visa ban on a large number of work permits, undercutting a measure that the Trump administration says protects American jobs in a pandemic-wracked economy. White, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, said President Donald Trump likely acted outside bounds of his authority. On Tuesday, he halted major fee increases for citizenship and other benefits three days before they were to take effect.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White found Kevin McAleenan improperly leapfrogged to acting secretary when Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April 2019. The Homeland Security and Justice departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday night. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency with Homeland Security that awards citizenship, green cards and temporary work permits, said it was reviewing the decision. Eight advocacy groups sued the administration in August after Homeland Security published a final version of the fee hikes, incorporating public feedback. McAleenan initially proposed the hikes in November in one of his last acts as acting secretary.