A federal judge in New York has struck down the Trump administration’s policy suspending the issuance of immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries. In a ruling delivered on Friday, the judge stated that the policy was clearly unlawful and contrary to federal immigration law.
According to Judge Janet DiFiore of the Southern District of New York (Manhattan), the policy conflicts with existing U.S. immigration laws.
Judge DiFiore stated that the policy—which completely halted the issuance of immigrant visas to citizens of specific countries based on nationality—constitutes a direct violation of the existing legal framework.
Judge DiFiore, an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, issued this ruling in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights organizations—such as the Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together—alongside immigrant visa applicants and U.S. citizens who had petitioned to bring family members from the affected countries to the United States.
The policy, which took effect in January of this year, affected citizens from numerous countries across Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean, as well as nations such as Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay in Latin America; Bosnia and Albania in the Balkans; and Pakistan and Bangladesh in South Asia.
President Donald Trump has implemented sweeping measures to restrict immigration during his term. His administration maintains that the goal of these measures is to strengthen U.S. national security.
Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has not yet commented on the judge’s ruling.
