'Contrary to law': US judge strikes down Trump's 75-country visa ban

A US federal judge has overturned a Trump administration policy that suspended immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries. The judge ruled that the measure was "contrary to law" and exceeded the State Department's legal authority.

The policy, which came into force in January, suspended the processing of immigrant visas to nationals of countries including Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Thailand and Yemen. According to the State Department, the decision was made "to ensure that immigrants from high-risk countries do not unlawfully utilise welfare in the US or become a public charge".

The judge, Jeannette Vargas, ruled that consular officers were wrongly ordered to refuse immigrant visas solely based on an applicant's country of origin, even if they had determined the applicant was otherwise eligible. The ruling vacates any visa denial based solely on the policy, and the government can appeal the decision.

Brief written by urgent.news from France 24, Free Malaysia Today, Le Monde English, IOL, New Straits Times — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.