A United States federal judge has struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, including Nigeria.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan ruled that the policy exceeded the statutory authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and conflicted with federal immigration law.
The policy, introduced by the State Department in January, affected applicants from several countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and the Middle East.
The judge described the nationality-based suspension as unlawful, ruling that the Secretary of State lacked the authority to impose a blanket prohibition on immigrant visa issuance based solely on an applicant’s nationality.
The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups, visa applicants and US citizens sponsoring family members from affected countries.
The Trump administration had defended the policy on the grounds that applicants from the designated countries posed a high risk of becoming dependent on public resources in the United States.
The State Department has yet to publicly respond to the ruling.
