US judge strikes down policy suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 nations, including Pakistan
US judge strikes down policy suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 nations, including Pakistan.
US judge strikes down policy suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 nations, including Pakistan.
Article outline
- What happened
- Official response
- Why it matters
- The bottom line
Key points
- US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan remarked the policy that the State Department unveiled in January was "patently unlawful" and ran afoul of federal immigration law.
- US President Donald Trump has pursued an aggressive immigration crackdown that he notes is aimed at improving domestic security.
- "The policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme, " she wrote.
- The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.
US judge strikes down policy suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 nations, including Pakistan. Reuters Published August 22, 2026 Updated August 22, 2026 10: 36am. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.
Notably, a US judge on Friday struck down a Trump administration policy suspending the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, including Pakistan, saying that the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statutory authority.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan remarked the policy that the State Department unveiled in January was "patently unlawful" and ran afoul of federal immigration law. It explicitly stripped the secretary of state of authority over consular officers' processing of immigrant visas.
For context, the State Department's suspension that additionally took effect in January impacted applicants from Latin American countries including Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay; Balkan nations such as Bosnia and Albania; South Asian countries Pakistan and Bangladesh; and those from numerous nations in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.
For context, the State Department remarked applicants from those countries were "at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state and federal government resources in the United States".
For context, the department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.
Vargas, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden, issued the ruling in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together along with applicants for immigrant visas and US citizens who are sponsoring family members from the designated countries for immigrant visas.
Rights groups say the crackdown has violated free speech and due process rights and has created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities. This person have triggered concern regarding racial profiling.
For now, US judge strikes down policy suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 nations, remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.
