A US judge has struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries, including Pakistan.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan ruled on Friday that the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s authority and was “patently unlawful.”
She said federal immigration law does not give the Secretary of State power over consular officers’ decisions on immigrant visas.
The policy, announced by the State Department in January, affected applicants from Latin America, the Balkans, South Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were among the South Asian countries hit by the suspension.
The State Department had said applicants from the listed countries were considered to be at a high risk of becoming a public charge and relying on government resources in the United States.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights groups and applicants for immigrant visas, along with US citizens sponsoring family members from the affected countries.
President Donald Trump has pursued a tough immigration crackdown, which he says is aimed at improving domestic security.
Rights groups have argued that the measures violate free speech and due process rights and have created an unsafe environment, especially for ethnic minorities.
The State Department has not yet commented on the ruling.
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