US Judge Strikes Down Policy Suspending Immigrant Visas for Citizens of Pakistan and 74 Other Countries
WASHINGTON: A US federal judge has struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to citizens of Pakistan and 74 other countries.
In her ruling, US District Judge for the Southern District of New York Jeannette Vargas said the policy exceeded the legal authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
According to a Reuters report, Judge Vargas ruled that the policy announced by the State Department in January was unlawful and conflicted with federal immigration law.
The judge stated that imposing a complete ban on the issuance of immigrant visas solely on the basis of an applicant’s nationality directly violated the procedures established under US law.
The policy, introduced by the State Department in January, affected Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as several other South Asian countries. Countries in Latin America, including Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay, along with Bosnia, Albania and several nations in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean, were also included on the list.
The US State Department had argued that applicants from these countries posed a higher risk of becoming a financial burden on the US government and relying on federal, state or local public resources.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights organisations Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together. The case was also joined by immigrant visa applicants and US citizens sponsoring family members from the affected countries.
Judge Jeannette Vargas was appointed to the federal bench by former Democratic President Joe Biden.
President Donald Trump has pursued a stringent immigration policy, saying the measures are aimed at strengthening US national security. Human rights organisations, however, have criticised several of the administration’s immigration actions, arguing that they violate legal requirements and civil liberties.
