Judge rules Trump-era 75-country visa ban illegal

A federal judge in the Southern District of New York has struck down a Trump administration policy that halted immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, ruling it illegal under the Immigration and Nationality Act. The policy, announced by the State Department earlier this year, targeted nations such as Afghanistan, Brazil and Yemen on the premise that applicants were more likely to require public assistance.

District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas wrote that the ban "discriminated on the basis of nationality" and exceeded the authority of the Secretary of State. She vacated the blanket restrictions and ordered that visa denials based solely on the policy be set aside.

"In many ways, this is not a challenging case," Vargas wrote.

The State Department, while declining to comment on the litigation, said the administration was "protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants." Plaintiffs, including the Catholic Immigration Legal Network, African Communities Together and several individual petitioners, welcomed the decision.

"The suspension of lawful visa processing across 75 countries separated spouses, parents, and children who were simply following the legal immigration process," said Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.

"For 75 countries' worth of families, this decision means a return to fair, case-by-case review, and a chance to be reunited with their loved ones," said Antionette Dozier, senior attorney for the Western Center on Law & Poverty.

Legal analysts noted that the ruling restores the requirement for individual consular assessments rather than a blanket nationality-based denial.