US court overturns Trump visa suspension affecting Pakistan, 74 other countries

A U.S. judge ruled on Friday that a policy suspending immigrant visa issuance from 75 countries, including Pakistan, was unlawful, as it overstepped the authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan declared the January State Department announcement "patently unlawful" and inconsistent with federal immigration law, which removed the secretary of state's control over consular officers' processing of immigrant visas.

The policy, which prevented visa issuance based on national origin, affected applicants from Latin American nations like Brazil and Colombia, Balkan countries including Bosnia, South Asian countries Pakistan and Bangladesh, and various nations in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. The State Department had cited concerns that applicants were "at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state, and federal government resources in the United States."

Vargas, appointed by former President Joe Biden, issued the ruling in a lawsuit brought by immigrant rights groups and visa applicants along with U.S. citizens sponsoring family members from the designated countries. The decision comes amid President Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown, which rights groups argue violates free speech and due process rights and has created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities who have expressed concerns about racial profiling.