WASHINGTON: GA federal judge in New York has struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended the processing of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, ruled on Friday that the policy was unlawful and exceeded the statutory authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The judge said the policy conflicted with the Immigration and Nationality Act by effectively requiring visa applications from eligible individuals to be refused without a legal basis provided by Congress.
According to Vargas, federal law gives consular officers the authority and discretion to determine whether an immigrant qualifies for a visa based on specific criteria established by statute.
She said the administration’s policy improperly replaced that individual assessment with a blanket restriction based on the nationality of applicants.
“Congress imbued these officers with exclusive authority and discretion to determine if an immigrant is eligible for a visa,” Vargas wrote in her ruling.
The policy had been challenged by two nonprofit organisations and 11 individuals, including six people whose relatives had been denied visas under the administration’s policy.
Five other plaintiffs were outside the United States and had submitted employment-based petitions seeking permission to immigrate.
Immigration advocacy groups welcomed the court decision, describing it as an important victory for families separated by the visa restrictions.
Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. (CLINIC), one of the organisations that brought the case, said the ruling was fundamentally about keeping families together.
She argued that the decision upheld the dignity of immigrants and reinforced the importance of family reunification under the rule of law.
Another plaintiff, African Communities Together, a Harlem-based nonprofit organisation, also celebrated the judgment.
Diana Konate, the group’s deputy executive director for policy and advocacy, described the ruling as a major victory for the rule of law and criticised the visa policy as discriminatory.
She said the restrictions had caused significant hardship by separating families and preventing loved ones from reuniting in the United States.
The ruling comes as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to expand its immigration restrictions and tighten requirements for people seeking to enter the United States.
The administration has introduced a series of immigration and travel measures affecting nationals from countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The State Department said the administration’s policies were intended to protect Americans through strict screening and vetting of visa applicants.
A department spokesperson declined to comment specifically on the ongoing litigation.
The court decision, however, represents a setback for the administration’s effort to impose broad restrictions on immigrant visa processing based largely on applicants’ nationalities.
The judgment also underscores the continuing legal battle between the Trump administration’s immigration agenda and challenges from advocacy organisations, affected families and other groups.
With the policy now vacated, its impact on applicants from the affected countries and the administration’s next legal steps are expected to remain closely watched
