New York: A U.S. federal judge has overturned the Trump administration's policy of suspending permanent visas for citizens from 75 countries, ruling that it violates U.S. immigration law. Judge Jennette A. Vargas of the Southern District of New York stated that the policy clearly violates the law and exceeds legal authority, as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio does not have the legal authority to issue a blanket visa ban based on nationality. U.S. law stipulates that the final decision on visa eligibility rests with individual consular officials. The court clarified that this case differs from the 2018 immigration ban upheld by the Supreme Court, which was within the direct authority of the President to restrict the right of those "to enter the country," while the latest order interferes with the legal process of "issuing visas."

According to Thai News Agency, previously, the Trump administration announced a policy to temporarily suspend the consideration and issuance of permanent visas to citizens from 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Russia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Thailand. The reason given was that refugees or migrants from these countries were highly likely to become a "public charge" requiring government assistance. However, this court ruling effectively overrides the denial of permanent visas solely due to the ban on these 75 countries, forcing the government to reconsider those applications through the normal process.

The court gave both parties the opportunity to submit proposals for resolving the backlog of visa applications by September 11. However, the U.S. government still has the right to appeal this decision to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

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