Sunday August 23, 2026
Washington (HOL) — A U.S. federal judge has struck down a Trump administration policy suspending the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, including Somalia.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York ruled Friday that the policy was “patently unlawful” and conflicted with federal immigration law governing the processing of immigrant visas.
Vargas said the secretary of state did not have the authority to impose a blanket suspension based on applicants’ nationalities, noting that federal law places the adjudication of immigrant visas with consular officers.
The State Department introduced the policy in January, affecting applicants from countries including Somalia, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Pakistan and Bangladesh, as well as countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
The department had justified the suspension by saying applicants from the affected countries were considered at high risk of becoming a public charge and relying on state and federal government resources in the United States.
The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by immigrant rights organizations, affected immigrant visa applicants and U.S. citizens sponsoring family members from the designated countries.
The State Department had not immediately commented on the ruling.
The decision could affect Somali nationals whose immigrant visa applications were subject to the suspension, although the immediate practical impact on individual applications was not yet clear.
Recently, Somali FIFA referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the United States, preventing him from officiating World Cup matches in the USA.
The ruling comes amid the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown, which the administration says is intended to strengthen U.S. national security. Immigrant rights groups have challenged several of the administration’s immigration policies, arguing that they violate legal protections and disproportionately affect minorities.