A federal court in the US has overturned Trump's ban on immigration visas for Russia and 74 other countries
Subtitle: Manhattan Magistrates Declared State Department's Decision Restricting Dozens of Nations “Unlawful”
Manhattan Federal Judge Janet Vargas has overturned the controversial policy of the Donald Trump administration, which temporarily suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to citizens of Russia and 74 other countries. The restriction imposed in January this year by the State Department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio was justified on the grounds that candidates from these nations pose a “high risk of becoming a burden on the US social system“. The text of the court decision, published by the media network PBS News (pbs.org), clearly states that the ban is “completely illegal“ and directly violates the Immigration and Nationality Act, taking away the legal powers of consular officers on the ground.
The court's decision is a key victory for a number of human rights and non-governmental organizations, including Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together, which filed a class action lawsuit in defense of separated families. The ban affected dozens of countries in Latin America (Brazil, Colombia), the Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Asia (Bangladesh, Pakistan), as well as a number of countries in Africa and the Middle East. As the international television explains Al Jazeera (aljazeera.com), the court order obliges US authorities to resume processing documents and gives a chance to reconsider already rejected applications for permanent residence in the US, while the State Department is still refraining from official comment.