US judge strikes down Trump policy suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries

A US District Judge in Manhattan, Jeannette Vargas, on Friday struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries. The judge ruled that the policy, announced by the State Department in January, was "patently unlawful" and exceeded the Secretary of State's statutory authority, stating it "categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant." The suspension impacted applicants from various regions, including Latin America, the Balkans, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. The State Department had justified the policy by claiming applicants from these countries were "at a high risk for becoming a public charge." The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups and individuals sponsoring family members for visas.