WASHINGTON – A US federal judge has struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, including Pakistan.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan ruled Friday that the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s legal authority. She described the measure, introduced by the State Department in January, as “patently unlawful.”
Vargas said the policy conflicted with federal immigration law, which she noted specifically limits the secretary of state’s authority over consular officers handling immigrant visa applications.
“The Policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme,” Vargas wrote.
The suspension affected applicants from a wide range of countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh in South Asia, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay in Latin America, and Bosnia and Albania in the Balkans. Several countries across Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean were also included.
The State Department had justified the policy by saying applicants from the designated countries were at a high risk of becoming a “public charge” and relying on government resources in the United States.
Vargas issued the ruling in a lawsuit brought by immigrant rights groups, visa applicants and US citizens sponsoring family members from affected countries.
