A United States federal judge has struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to nationals of Nigeria and 74 other countries.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York ruled on Friday that the policy exceeded the statutory authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was contrary to federal immigration law.
The policy, introduced by the US Department of State in January, halted the processing of immigrant visas for applicants from the affected countries. The administration had justified the measure on concerns that immigrants from those nations could become dependent on public assistance in the United States.
Nigeria was among the African countries affected by the suspension. Other countries on the list included Ghana, Cameroon, The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Tunisia.
The policy also affected countries across Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, Europe and other regions.
Judge Vargas found that the policy unlawfully required consular officers to refuse immigrant visas based solely on an applicant’s nationality, rather than allowing individual assessments under existing immigration law.
The ruling effectively removes the legal basis for visa refusals made solely under the 75-country policy, providing relief to applicants whose cases had been affected by the suspension. The US government retains the option of appealing the decision.
The court’s decision represents another legal setback for the Trump administration’s immigration policies, which have faced challenges over the scope of executive authority and the treatment of foreign nationals.
