Nigeria Gets Reprieve as US Judge Strikes Down Trump’s Immigrant Visa Ban on 75 Countries

A United States federal judge has struck down President Donald Trump’s visa ban on nationals from 75 countries including Nigeria — seven months after the policy came into effect.

In a ruling issued on Friday in New York, Jeannette Vargas, the presiding judge, called the policy “contrary to law” and said Marco Rubio, secretary of state, had exceeded his “statutory authority” in issuing it.

The US Department of State had directed consular officers in January to pause visa processing for the affected countries, pending a broad reassessment of screening and vetting procedures.

The policy shift was linked to the “public charge” rule, a long-standing element of US immigration law that allows authorities to deny visas to individuals considered likely to rely on public benefits.

Countries affected included Nigeria, Ghana, Cape Verde, Barbados, Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, Thailand and Yemen.

At that time, the State Department had said the decision was made “to ensure that immigrants from high-risk countries do not unlawfully utilize welfare in the United States or become a public charge”.

However, Vargas ruled that consular officers were wrongly ordered to refuse immigrant visas solely based on an applicant’s country of origin, even if they had determined the applicant was otherwise.

The government can appeal the ruling.

Since coming into power, Trump has pursued an aggressive immigration crackdown that he says is aimed at improving domestic security.