A federal judge has blocked a Trump administration policy that stopped the processing of immigrant visas for people from 75 countries. The ruling is another legal setback for President Donald Trump’s plan to tighten immigration rules.
The decision was issued Friday by U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in New York. She said Secretary of State Marco Rubio went beyond his legal power when he ordered officials to pause immigrant visa processing for people from the listed countries.
The policy affected people from nations across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The list included Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia.
The administration said the policy was needed because some immigrants from the affected countries were more likely to use public aid after entering the United States.
Officials pointed to data showing that more than 30 percent of households with immigrants from the listed countries received some form of public assistance. The State Department said the goal was to make sure new immigrants would not become a burden on public funds.
Judge Vargas rejected the broad approach. She said federal law requires visa decisions to be made based on each person’s case. She found that the policy instead created a blanket ban based on nationality.
The judge said the policy was not allowed under the Immigration and Nationality Act. She also said Congress had given consular officers the role of deciding whether each person qualifies for an immigrant visa.
The ruling means the policy is no longer in effect unless a higher court steps in. The Trump administration can appeal the decision, which could lead to another legal fight over presidential power on immigration.
The case was brought by two nonprofit groups and 11 people affected by the policy. Some plaintiffs had relatives who were unable to get visas. Others were foreign nationals seeking to move to the United States through work-based immigration programs.
Immigration groups welcomed the ruling. Anna Gallagher, executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, said the decision could help families that had been separated by the visa pause.
African Communities Together, another group involved in the case, also praised the decision. The group said it was a major win for the rule of law and argued that the policy had harmed families.
The State Department defended the wider immigration policy. It said the administration was focused on protecting the public through strong screening and checks of visa applicants.
The department did not comment directly on the case because the legal fight is still active.
The ruling comes after another federal court decision in June. That case involved a separate Trump policy that made it harder for people from many countries to seek asylum, receive work permits, obtain green cards or access citizenship benefits.
Together, the cases show the legal challenges facing Trump’s immigration plans. Several policies have faced lawsuits as the administration seeks to expand immigration controls during Trump’s second term.
The latest case also raises a wider question about the limits of presidential power. The ruling suggests that the executive branch may not be able to impose broad visa limits based only on a person’s nationality without clear approval from Congress.
For people affected by the visa pause, the ruling could allow immigrant visa cases to move forward. However, the situation may change if the administration appeals and a higher court issues a new order.
The next step will depend on how the Trump administration responds. An appeal could take the dispute to a higher court and keep the future of the visa policy uncertain.
For now, the ruling stands as another major court challenge to Trump’s immigration agenda. It also gives affected families a possible path to continue their immigration cases while the wider legal battle continues.
