According to the judge, the law does not give the Secretary of State the authority to impose a blanket prohibition on the issuance of immigrant visas based solely on an applicant’s nationality.
A United States federal judge has struck down a Donald Trump's administration policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, including Nigeria, ruling that the measure exceeded the statutory authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The ruling, delivered on Friday by US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan, represents a significant legal setback for the administration’s broader immigration crackdown, particularly its attempt to restrict visa processing based on the nationality of applicants.
The policy, announced by the US State Department in January, affected nationals of dozens of countries across Africa, Asia and other regions. Nigeria was among the countries listed under the policy, alongside Cameroon, Cape Verde, Algeria, Afghanistan, Fiji and Pakistan.
Vargas described the policy as “patently unlawful”, holding that it conflicted with federal immigration law governing the processing of immigrant visas.
