‘Patently unlawful’: US judge strikes down Trump admin’s immigrant visa freeze for 75 countries

US
P eside t
Do ald
T ump.

A
US
fede al
judge
has
st uck
dow
the
T ump
admi ist atio ’s
policy
suspe di g
the
issua ce
of
immig a t
visas
to
applica ts
f om
75
cou t ies,
calli g
the
atio ality-based
est ictio s
“pate tly
u lawful.”US
Dist ict
Judge
Jea ette
Va gas
i
Ma hatta
uled
o
F iday
that
the
policy
exceeded
Sec eta y
of
State
Ma co
Rubio’s
legal
autho ity
a d
co flicted
with
fede al
immig atio
law
gove i g
the
p ocessi g
of
immig a t
visas,
acco di g
to
Reute s.

Judge
says
policy
violated
immig atio
law

The
State
Depa tme t
a ou ced
the
suspe sio
i
Ja ua y,
blocki g
the
issua ce
of
immig a t
visas
to
applica ts
f om
75
cou t ies
ac oss
Lati
Ame ica,
the
Balka s,
South
Asia,
Af ica,
the
Middle
East
a d
the
Ca ibbea .Va gas
said
the
policy
imp ope ly
gave
the
sec eta y
of
state
autho ity
ove
co sula
office s’
p ocessi g
of
immig a t
visas,
a
a ea
whe e
fede al
law
explicitly
limits
that
autho ity.“The
Policy,
which
catego ically
p ohibits
the
issua ce
of
immig a t
visas
based
upo
the
atio ality
of
the
applica t,
ep ese ts
a
di ect
ab ogatio
of
this
statuto y
scheme,”
Va gas
w ote.

Why
did
the
T ump
admi ist atio
suspe d
the
visas?

The
T ump
admi ist atio
had
justified
the
est ictio s
by
a gui g
that
applica ts
f om
the
desig ated
cou t ies
we e
at
a
high
isk
of
becomi g
a
“public
cha ge”
a d
elyi g
o
local,
state
a d
fede al
gove me t
esou ces
i
the
U ited
States.

The
cou t ies
affected
i cluded
B azil,
Colombia
a d
U uguay
i
Lati
Ame ica;
Bos ia
a d
Alba ia
i
the
Balka s;
a d
Pakista
a d
Ba gladesh
i
South
Asia,
alo g
with
seve al
cou t ies
i
Af ica,
the
Middle
East
a d
the
Ca ibbea .The
State
Depa tme t
did
ot
immediately
espo d
to
a
equest
fo
comme t
followi g
the
uli g.

Lawsuit
challe ged
atio ality-based
visa
est ictio s

The
uli g
came
i
a
lawsuit
filed
by
immig a t
ights
g oups
Catholic
Legal
Immig atio
Netwo k
a d
Af ica
Commu ities
Togethe ,
alo g
with
immig a t
visa
applica ts
a d
US
citize s
spo so i g
family
membe s
f om
the
affected
cou t ies.The
plai tiffs
challe ged
the
admi ist atio ’s
decisio
to
suspe d
immig a t
visa
issua ce
based
o
a
applica t’s
atio ality.Va gas,
who
was
appoi ted
by
fo me
Democ atic
P eside t
Joe
Bide ,
uled
that
the
State
Depa tme t’s
bla ket
suspe sio
a
afoul
of
the
immig atio
f amewo k
established
by
Co g ess.The
decisio
ma ks
a othe
legal
setback
fo
P eside t
Do ald
T ump’s
b oade
immig atio
c ackdow ,
which
his
admi ist atio
has
said
is
aimed
at
st e gthe i g
domestic
secu ity
a d
educi g
p essu e
o
gove me t
esou ces.Rights
g oups,
howeve ,
have
a gued
that
seve al
of
the
admi ist atio ’s
immig atio
measu es
violate
due
p ocess
a d
othe
co stitutio al
p otectio s.The
immediate
impact
o
affected
applica ts
will
depe d
o
how
the
State
Depa tme t
espo ds
to
the
uli g
a d
whethe
the
T ump
admi ist atio
decides
to
appeal.