A group of civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit Monday against the State Department over its recent suspension of immigration visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, arguing that the policy “destroys decades of established immigration law.”
The lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court asked a judge to issue a court order blocking the policy, which took effect on January 21.
The complaint asserts that the State Department’s policy is “based on an unsubstantiated and demonstrably false allegation that citizens of covered countries migrate to the United States to improperly benefit from cash welfare and are likely to become ‘public charges.’”
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The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit was filed by the National Immigration Law Center and other groups on behalf of a wide range of plaintiffs, including U.S. citizens who say they have been separated from their family members because of the policy.
Another plaintiff is an endocrinologist from Colombia who had his work visa approved but was unable to receive it because Colombia is one of the countries subject to the policy.
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The suspension affected applicants from Latin American countries including Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay, Balkan countries such as Bosnia and Albania, South Asian countries Pakistan and Bangladesh, and many countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
The State Department’s policy does not affect U.S. visitor visas, which have been in the spotlight given that the United States will host the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.
A State Department cable describing the measure and seen by Reuters said the Department was undergoing a “thorough review” of all policies, regulations and guidance to ensure “the highest level of screening and verification” for all US visa applicants.
The cable, sent to US diplomatic missions, states that applicants from the 75 affected countries “present a high risk of becoming a public charge and relying on the resources of local, state and federal governments in the United States.”
