Trump administration's 75-country visa ban was illegal, judge rules
The U.S. stopped issuing visas for citizens of 75 countries because it said they were likely to need public assistance. A judge ruled the policy illegally discriminated on the basis of nationality.
A US judge has ruled that the Trump administration's policy of banning visas for citizens of 75 countries was illegal. The policy, announced by the State Department in January, was intended to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits. It stopped the issuance of visas for citizens of countries in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, or Eastern Europe.
The judge, Jeannette A. Vargas, found that the policy discriminated on the basis of nationality and exceeded the authority of Secretary of State. According to PBS NewsHour, the judge stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his authority by issuing the policy. The policy was also said to conflict with federal immigration law, which gives consular officers exclusive authority and discretion to determine whether an immigrant is eligible for a visa.
The judge's order set aside refusals based solely on the policy and required those cases to be reconsidered by consular officers under normal immigration laws. It also vacated visa denials that were based solely on the policy, as reported by ABC News (US).
Brief written by urgent.news from NPR, PBS NewsHour, Mother Jones, ABC News (US) — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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