In the long and contested history of who belongs and who decides, a federal judge in Manhattan drew a firm line: the power to suspend immigrant visas wholesale does not rest with the Secretary of State, and a policy freezing applications for seventy-five nations cannot stand on legal ground. Judge Jeannette Vargas, ruling in August 2026, found the Trump administration's visa suspension patently unlawful, a violation of the very statutes that define how immigration authority is distributed. For thousands of families separated across continents — from South Asia to the Caribbean, from the Balkan
US Judge Invalidates Trump Visa Suspension for 75 Countries
Visa applicants and family members from 75 countries faced suspension of immigration processing, affecting thousands seeking to enter or reunite in the United States.
Politics & Governance