US civil rights organizations sue Trump administration over visa suspension.
A lawsuit against the State Department claims that the measure undermines decades of immigration legislation and is based on unfounded allegations about immigrants.
247 - A group of civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit on Monday (2) against the U.S. State Department due to the suspension of visa processing for immigrants from 75 countries. The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in New York and requests that the court order the policy to be blocked, which came into effect on January 21. The information is from the agency. Reuters.
The organizations claim that the measure undermines established norms of U.S. immigration law. According to the document submitted to the court, the policy "has emptied decades of established immigration legislation" and is based on an allegation considered unfounded regarding the profile of the affected immigrants.
Accusation of prejudice against immigrants
According to the authors, the Trump administration argues that citizens of the affected countries would migrate to the U.S. to rely on social benefits and would be more likely, in the agency's view, to become "public burdens." The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment following the filing of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed by the National Immigration Law Center and other organizations on behalf of various plaintiffs. Among them are U.S. citizens who claim to have been separated from family members due to visa suspensions. Another plaintiff cited is an endocrinologist from Colombia who obtained approval for an employment-based visa but was unable to receive it because his country is included among those affected by the measure.
The measure affects countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
The suspension impacted applicants from Latin American countries such as Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay, as well as Balkan nations like Bosnia and Albania, South Asian countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, and several countries in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.
The State Department's policy does not affect visitor visas to the United States. This type of visa has received additional attention due to the country hosting the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games.
State Department "justifies" policy review.
An internal memo from the State Department announced that the agency is conducting a "comprehensive review" of its policies, regulations, and guidelines. The goal, according to the document, is to ensure "the highest level of screening and verification" for all visa applicants. The text, sent to US diplomatic missions, states that applicants from the 75 affected countries are considered "high risk" and may require recourse to local, state, and federal government resources.
