US Federal Court Judge Janet Vargas in Manhattan has overturned the Donald Trump administration’s policy of suspending the issuance of immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries, saying that the policy goes beyond the legal authority of the US State Department.
Vargas said in his ruling that the policy, which was implemented in January, violates federal immigration laws and that the State Department cannot order consular officers to refuse to issue immigrant visas based solely on the nationality of the applicant.
This policy affected citizens of various countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Bosnia, and Albania, as well as a number of countries in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.
The US State Department had previously suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to citizens of these 75 countries, including Afghanistan.
