US Judge Blocks Trump’s Order to Suspend Visas for Citizens of 75 Countries

A U.S. federal judge issued a ruling invalidating a government decision that barred the issuance of visas to citizens of 75 countries seeking to settle permanently in the United States, dealing a blow to President Donald Trump’s immigration campaign.

In the Friday ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Janet Coviello Vargas described the decision as “unlawful,” stating that Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded “the authority granted to him by law” when he issued it.

The decision, which took effect in January, suspended the processing of immigrant visa applications for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Thailand, and Yemen.

At the time, the State Department said the decision was taken “to ensure that immigrants arriving from high-risk countries do not illegally use U.S. social welfare programs and do not become a burden on public funds.”

However, Vargas found that consular officials were wrongly instructed to reject immigrant visas solely based on the applicant’s country of origin, even in cases where applicants met all other requirements.

Trump had pledged during his campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants present in the country.