A federal judge in Manhattan has dealt a major blow to the Trump administration’s immigration policy after ruling against the State Department’s suspension of immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries.
Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his legal authority by imposing the sweeping visa suspension.
In her Friday ruling, Vargas described the policy as “patently unlawful,” arguing that it conflicts with federal immigration law, which limits the secretary of state’s authority over consular officers handling immigrant visa applications.
According to the judge, the policy’s blanket restriction based solely on applicants’ nationalities directly contradicted the immigration system established by Congress.
The ruling followed a lawsuit brought by immigrant rights organisations, including the Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together, alongside immigrant visa applicants and U.S. citizens sponsoring relatives from affected countries.
The visa suspension, which took effect in January, affected nationals from dozens of countries across Latin America, the Balkans, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Countries affected included Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Bosnia, Albania, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The State Department had defended the policy by arguing that applicants from the affected countries were considered at a high risk of becoming dependent on government resources in the United States.
The decision represents another legal challenge to President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda, which has included expanded travel restrictions and other measures aimed at tightening immigration controls.
Rights groups have repeatedly accused the administration of policies that disproportionately affect minorities and raise concerns over due process and racial profiling.
The State Department had not immediately issued a public response to the ruling.
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