Washington, August 22, 2026: A US federal judge on Friday struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, including Pakistan, ruling that the measure exceeded the statutory authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan declared the policy “patently unlawful”, finding that it conflicted with federal immigration law governing the processing of immigrant visas.
The State Department had announced the suspension in January, affecting applicants from a wide range of countries across South Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caribbean.
Among the countries covered by the policy were Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Bosnia and Albania.
In her ruling, Vargas said the policy improperly gave the secretary of state authority over consular officers that Congress had expressly withheld.
“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.
The State Department had justified the suspension by arguing that applicants from the designated countries were at a high risk of becoming a “public charge” and relying on local, state or federal government resources in the United States.
The department did not immediately comment on the ruling.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights organisations Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together, along with immigrant visa applicants and US citizens sponsoring family members from countries affected by the suspension.
The plaintiffs challenged the administration’s authority to impose a blanket nationality-based suspension on immigrant visa issuance.
Judge Vargas, an appointee of former Democratic President Joe Biden, ruled in their favour, effectively blocking the policy on the grounds that it exceeded the powers granted to the secretary of state under federal immigration law.
The decision represents a legal setback for the Trump administration’s broader immigration agenda, which has included a series of measures aimed at tightening entry requirements and restricting immigration.
President Donald Trump has defended his immigration policies as necessary to strengthen national security and protect US resources.
Immigrant rights groups, however, have repeatedly criticised the administration’s crackdown, arguing that several measures violate due process and free speech protections and have contributed to an environment of fear among immigrant communities.
The groups have also raised concerns that heightened immigration enforcement could disproportionately affect ethnic minorities and increase the risk of racial profiling.
For Pakistani applicants and US citizens sponsoring family members from Pakistan, the ruling could provide relief from the January suspension, although the administration may challenge the decision or pursue other legal avenues to restrict immigrant visa issuance.
