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A US federal court has struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Bangladesh, ruling that the measure exceeded the legal authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Manhattan US District Judge Janet Vargas issued the ruling on Friday, declaring that the policy introduced in January was “clearly unlawful” and violated federal immigration law.
Judge Vargas said the law explicitly limits the secretary of state’s authority over consular officers, who are responsible for deciding whether an immigrant visa applicant should be granted a visa after reviewing individual applications at US embassies and consulates.
“The blanket suspension of immigrant visas based solely on an applicant’s nationality is a direct violation of the established legal framework,” Vargas wrote in her ruling.
The policy, which took effect in January, suspended immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries. The list included Bangladesh and Pakistan in South Asia; Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay in Latin America; Bosnia and Albania in the Balkans; as well as numerous countries across Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
The State Department had argued that applicants from those countries were more likely to become dependent on US government assistance, including local, state and federal welfare programs, after arriving in the United States.
The department did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the court’s decision.
The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights organizations Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together. The plaintiffs included immigrant visa applicants from the affected countries, as well as US citizens who had filed immigrant visa petitions to bring their family members from those nations to the United States.
When introducing the policy in January, the Trump administration said it was aimed at reducing the likelihood that immigrants from the listed countries would rely on public benefits.
Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping restrictions on immigration, arguing that tougher enforcement is necessary to strengthen national security.
However, human rights organizations have criticized the administration’s immigration policies, saying they undermine freedom of expression and due process rights while increasing the risk of discrimination and harassment based on ethnicity and national origin.
