US Judge Strikes Down Trump Policy on Immigrant Visas

A US judge has struck down a Trump administration policy suspending immigrant visas for 75 countries.

US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan made the ruling, stating that the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statutory authority.

The policy, announced in January, prohibited the issuance of immigrant visas based on the nationality of the applicant.

The suspension impacted applicants from Latin American countries including Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay; Balkan nations such as Bosnia and Albania; South Asian countries Pakistan and Bangladesh; and those from many nations in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.

The State Department said applicants from those countries were "at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state and federal government resources in the United States."

However, Judge Vargas deemed the policy "patently unlawful" and in violation of federal immigration law, which explicitly stripped the secretary of state of authority over consular officers' processing of immigrant visas.

The ruling was made in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together along with applicants for immigrant visas and US citizens who are sponsoring family members from the designated countries for immigrant visas.

President Donald Trump has pursued an aggressive immigration crackdown that he says is aimed at improving domestic security.

Rights groups say the crackdown has violated free speech and due process rights and has created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, who have raised concerns about racial profiling.

**Immigrant Visa Policy Suspension Details**

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.

Vargas, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden, issued the ruling in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups along with applicants for immigrant visas and US citizens who are sponsoring family members from the designated countries for immigrant visas.

President Donald Trump has pursued an aggressive immigration crackdown that he says is aimed at improving domestic security.

Rights groups say the crackdown has violated free speech and due process rights and has created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, who have raised concerns about racial profiling.

The lawsuit was filed by immigrant rights groups Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together along with applicants for immigrant visas and US citizens who are sponsoring family members from the designated countries for immigrant visas.

The judge's ruling has been seen as a significant blow to the Trump administration's immigration policies.