A federal judge in the United States has overturned a Trump administration measure that had halted immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 nations, including Pakistan, ruling that the move went beyond what the law allows Secretary of State Marco Rubio to do.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas, based in Manhattan, described the policy, first announced by the State Department in January, as unlawful on its face. She found that it conflicted with federal immigration statutes, which specifically deny the secretary of state authority over how consular officers process immigrant visa applications.
In her written ruling, Vargas noted that a blanket ban on issuing immigrant visas purely because of an applicant’s nationality directly undermines the legal framework Congress had established for visa processing.
Countries Affected by the Visa Suspension
The suspension, which took effect the same month it was announced, reached far beyond Pakistan. It affected applicants from Latin American nations such as Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay, Balkan countries including Bosnia and Albania, as well as Bangladesh and numerous states across Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.
Justifying the freeze, the State Department had argued that applicants from these countries posed an elevated risk of becoming reliant on public assistance, pointing to concerns over their potential use of local, state, and federal resources once in the US. The department has not yet responded to requests for comment following the court’s decision.
Lawsuit Behind the Ruling
Judge Vargas, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, issued her decision in response to a lawsuit brought by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together. The case also included immigrant visa applicants and US citizens seeking to sponsor family members from the countries covered by the suspension.
The ruling adds to the legal pushback against President Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, which the administration has defended as necessary for strengthening domestic security. Advocacy groups, however, argue that the crackdown has infringed on free speech and due process protections, fostering a climate of insecurity, especially among ethnic minorities who say they have been subjected to racial profiling.