FEDERAL JUDGE OVERTURNS TRUMP POLICY SUSPENDING VISAS FROM 75 COUNTRIES. (PHOTO).

 Federal judge overturns Trump policy suspending visas from 75 countries

  

 A federal judge in New York has overturned a Trump administration policy that halted the processing of immigrant visas for people from 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose citizens were deemed more likely to rely on public assistance in the United States.

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled Friday that the policy was unlawful and exceeded the authority granted to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. She said the policy conflicted with the Immigration and Nationality Act by requiring visas to be denied to otherwise eligible applicants without a legal basis.

Vargas also said the policy improperly bypassed the role Congress assigned to consular officers, who are responsible for evaluating individual visa applications based on specific requirements established by law. A blanket restriction based on an applicant's nationality, she said, undermined that system.

The lawsuit was brought by two nonprofit organizations and 11 individuals. Six of the individuals said family members had been denied visas, while five others were outside the United States and had submitted employment-based petitions seeking to immigrate.

Immigration advocates welcomed the decision, saying the policy had separated families and caused significant hardship. They argued that the ruling would allow affected families to resume efforts to reunite in the United States.

African Communities Together, a Harlem-based nonprofit and one of the plaintiffs, also praised the decision, calling it a victory for the rule of law and saying the visa restrictions had caused substantial harm to families and communities.

The Trump administration has implemented an expanding series of immigration and travel restrictions, particularly affecting people from countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The State Department said the administration was committed to maintaining strict screening and vetting standards for visa applicants but declined to comment on ongoing litigation.

The visa suspension was issued as part of a broader effort to tighten immigration rules involving people who could potentially become dependent on public benefits. The State Department had cited government data indicating that more than 30% of households with immigrants from the affected countries received some form of public assistance.

Separate guidance instructed U.S. embassies and consulates to more closely examine nonimmigrant visa applicants for the possibility that they could seek public benefits. Applicants could be required to demonstrate that they had sufficient financial resources and were unlikely to rely on government assistance.

Vargas' decision is the latest in a series of court rulings challenging the Trump administration's immigration policies. In June, another federal judge struck down a policy that made it more difficult for immigrants from dozens of countries to enter or remain in the United States, affecting matters including asylum, work permits, green cards and citizenship applications.