US judge strikes down policy suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 nations
Judge Jeannette Vargas said the State Department exceeded its authority by ordering blanket visa refusals for nationals of 75 countries.
- On Friday, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas struck down a policy from President Donald Trump's administration suspending immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries, ruling that Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his statutory authority.
- The Department implemented the suspension in January, claiming applicants from those nations were "at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state and federal government resources in the United States."
- Judge Jeannette Vargas, an appointee of President Joe Biden, deemed the policy "patently unlawful," stating it "ran afoul of federal immigration law, which explicitly stripped the secretary of state of authority over consular officers' processing of immigrant visas."
- According to the Center for Constitutional Rights, the freeze was one of several restrictions imposed in rapid succession, following a broader travel ban covering 39 countries effective January 1 and a late December diversity visa pause.
- Trump has pursued an aggressive immigration crackdown throughout this year, asserting these measures are necessary for improving domestic security, though rights groups argue the actions violate due process and facilitate racial profiling.
169 Articles
169 Articles
On Friday, a U.S. federal judge annulled the suspension of visa procedures for permanent residence in the United States imposed on 75 countries in January, striking another blow to Donald Trump’s anti-immigration agenda. In his ruling, Jeannette Vargas, from a New York court, declared that the policy was “contrary to the law” and that it exceeded the “legal authority” of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The measure, in force since January 21, sus…
Federal judge vacates Trump policy that suspended processing of immigration visas from 75 countries, including Jamaica
A federal judge in New York has vacated a Trump administration policy that suspended the processing of visas from 75 countries, including Jamaica, Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration deemed likely to require public assistance in the United States. US District Judge Jeannette Vargas, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, set aside the policy Friday as “contrary to law and in excess of statutory au…
Judge Jeannette Vargas considered the measure "manifestly illegal" and opened the way for the review of thousands of visa applications already processed since January 2026.
La Vanguardia
The judge ruled that the order contravened the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act.
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