Rights groups challenge Trump immigration visa freeze

A group of rights groups have taken the Trump administration to court over a sudden halt in processing immigrant visas for citizens from 75 countries, saying the move has upended settled immigration rules. 

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Manhattan asked a judge to issue a court order blocking the policy, which took effect on January 21.

The complaint asserted that the State Department’s policy is “based on an unsupported and demonstrably false claim that nationals of the covered countries migrate to the United States to improperly rely on cash welfare and are likely to become ‘public charges.’”

“A visa is a privilege not a right,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement, adding that the visa policy prevents billions of dollars in waste, fraud, and abuse.

“The Department is pausing issuance to evaluate and enhance screening and vetting procedures – but we will never stop fighting for American citizens first,” Pigott said.

The lawsuit was brought by the National Immigration Law Center and other groups on behalf of a wide range of plaintiffs, including US citizens who say they have been separated from family members because of the policy.

Another plaintiff is an endocrinologist from Colombia who was approved for an employment-based visa but cannot receive it because Colombia is one of the countries subject to the policy.

The pause has impacted applicants from Latin American countries, including Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay, Balkan countries such as Bosnia and Albania, South Asian countries Pakistan and Bangladesh, and those from many nations in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.

The State Department policy does not impact US visitor visas, which have been in the spotlight given that the United States is hosting the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.

A State Department cable outlining the move and seen by Reuters said the Department was undergoing a “full review” of all policies, regulations and guidance to ensure “the highest level of screening and vetting” for all US visa applicants.

The cable, sent to US missions, said applicants from the 75 impacted countries “are at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state and federal government resources in the United States.”