US judge strikes down Trump’s visa ban affecting 75 countries, including Pakistan

NEW YORK: A US judge on Friday struck down the Trump administration’s ban on issuing visas to immigrants from 75 countries, including Pakistan, calling the move “patently unlawful” and contrary to federal immigration law.

In a 61-page ruling, US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan issued the ruling, saying the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s authority.

The policy had imposed a blanket suspension on immigrant visa processing based on the applicant’s nationality. Judge Vargas said the measure represented a direct violation of the legal framework governing the processing of immigrant visas.

The suspension, which took effect in January, affected immigrant visa applicants from Pakistan and Bangladesh, several Latin American and Balkan countries, as well as nations in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

“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,” Vargas wrote.

The State Department had justified the suspension by arguing that applicants from the designated countries were at a high risk of becoming a “public charge” and relying on government resources in the United States. The department made no immediate comment on the ruling. Vargas, appointed by former Democratic President Joe Biden, ruled in a lawsuit brought by immigrant rights groups, visa applicants and US citizens sponsoring family members from the affected countries.