Get you up to speed: US judge strikes down Trump immigrant visa ban affecting 75 countries
A United States judge in Manhattan ruled against the Trump administration’s policy that suspended immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries, determining the policy was “patently unlawful.” The ruling, issued by Judge Jeannette Vargas in the Southern District of New York, came in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups and affected visa applicants.
The ruling was issued following a lawsuit from immigrant rights groups, including Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together, along with individual visa applicants. The State Department’s suspension, which began in January 2026, impacted applicants from numerous countries across Latin America, the Balkans, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.
Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that the suspension of immigrant visas by the State Department was “patently unlawful” and exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s authority, following a lawsuit from immigrant rights groups. The Department of State has not yet issued a response to the ruling, leaving questions about its next steps in light of the policy’s impact on applicants from 75 countries.
What remains unclear — The State Department has not yet indicated how it will respond to the judge’s ruling.
US judge overturns Trump’s immigrant visa ban affecting 75 nations
News|MigrationUS judge strikes down Trump immigrant visa ban affecting 75 countries
A federal judge in Manhattan ruled against the State Department’s suspension of immigrant visas.
Published On 22 Aug 202622 Aug 2026
Published On 22 Aug 202622 Aug 2026A United States judge has struck down a policy introduced by the administration of President Donald Trump suspending the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, saying the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority.
Judge Jeannette Vargas of Manhattan said in her ruling on Friday in the Southern District of New York that the policy was “patently unlawful” and conflicted with federal immigration law, which explicitly stripped the secretary of state of authority over consular officers’ adjudication of immigrant visas.
“The Policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme,” she wrote.
Vargas, an appointee of Democratic former President Joe Biden, issued the ruling in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together, along with applicants for immigrant visas and US citizens sponsoring family members from the designated countries.
The suspension, which took effect in January of this year, affected applicants from Latin American countries including Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay; Balkan nations such as Bosnia and Albania; South Asian countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh; and many nations in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
The Department of State said applicants from those countries were “at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state and federal government resources in the United States”.
President Donald Trump has pursued an aggressive immigration crackdown during his presidency that he argues is aimed at improving domestic security. According to the Center for Constitutional Rights, the freeze was one of several restrictions the administration has imposed in rapid succession, following a broader travel ban covering 39 countries that took effect January 1, and a pause on diversity visa issuance in late December.
Rights groups have suggested that the crackdown violates free speech and due process rights, particularly for minorities, who have raised concerns about racial profiling.
The State Department has not yet commented on the ruling.