US judge strikes down President Trump policy suspending visas for Pakistan, 74 other nations
By The South Asia Times
WASHINGTON - A US judge on Friday struck down a Trump administration policy suspending immigrant visa issuance to applicants from 75 countries, including Pakistan, ruling the measure exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio's legal authority, according to Reuters news agency.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan called the State Department's January policy "patently unlawful," stating it violated federal immigration law that explicitly strips the Secretary of State of authority over consular officers' visa processing.
"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," she wroe.
The suspension impacted applicants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Bosnia, Albania, and numerous nations across Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.
The State Department had claimed applicants from these countries were "at a high risk for becoming a public charge" .
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups including Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together, along with visa applicants and US citizens sponsoring family membes.
Judge Vargas, a Biden appointee, issued the decision as part of President Trump's broader immigration crackdown, which rights groups say has raised concerns about racial profiling and due process violations . The State Department has not yet commented on the ruling
