US court overturns visa suspension policy for 75 countries including Bangladesh
Photo: Southern District Court of Manhattan in New York. Reuters
A US court has overturned a policy announced by the administration of US President Donald Trump to suspend the issuance of immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries including Bangladesh.
Judge Janet Vargas of the Southern District of New York in Manhattan issued the ruling on Friday local time. She said the policy was unlawful and exceeded the legal authority of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Judge Vargas said the policy of stopping the issuance of immigrant visas based on an applicant’s nationality directly conflicts with US immigration law. This is because the law limits the Secretary of State’s authority over embassy officials’ review of immigrant visa applications.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by two organizations working on immigration rights along with several visa applicants and US citizens. These US citizens had applied to bring family members who are citizens of the designated countries to the United States.
The visa suspension policy took effect in January this year. It included Latin American countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay. Countries from the Balkan region such as Bosnia and Albania were also included.
Besides Bangladesh in South Asia, Pakistan was also on the list. Many countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean were also covered by the policy.
The US State Department had said at the time that applicants from these countries were at greater risk of becoming dependent on government assistance in the United States.
Since taking office Trump has taken strict measures to reduce immigration to the United States. His administration has said these measures were taken to strengthen national security.
The Center for Constitutional Rights said the visa suspension decision was part of a series of immigration restrictions imposed by the Trump administration. Earlier a travel ban was imposed on 39 countries. The issuance of visas was suspended in December.
Rights activists have criticized these measures. They said such policies could undermine freedom of expression and the right to due process. They also said they could create a risk of harassment based on ethnic identity particularly among minorities.
The US State Department has not yet commented on the ruling.
Source: Al Jazeera (Adapted)
