Judge Voids Trump’s 75-Country Visa Ban, Reopening Thousands of Denials
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 22
Judge Voids Trump’s 75-Country Visa Ban, Reopening Thousands of Denials
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 22
Summary
A New York federal judge invalidated the Trump administration’s January policy barring immigrant visas from 75 countries and ordered any denial based solely on that rule reversed.
In a 61-page ruling, Judge Jeannette Vargas said Secretary of State Marco Rubio lacked authority for the measure and found it violated a law requiring individualized public-charge assessments.
An internal State Department cable showed consular officers were told to deny visas even when applicants submitted evidence they could support themselves, undercutting the administration’s stated rationale.
The decision could force review of thousands of applications from countries across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, including U.S. allies Jordan and Egypt.
Vargas distinguished the ruling from the Supreme Court’s 2018 travel-ban decision, saying that case addressed presidential entry restrictions rather than visa issuance; the administration can appeal to the Second Circuit.