By Jelili Gbadamosi
A United States federal court has halted a Trump administration policy that suspended immigrant visa processing for citizens of Nigeria and 74 other countries.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas issued the ruling on Friday at the Southern District of New York, declaring that the policy introduced by the US Department of State exceeded the legal authority granted to Secretary of State Marco Rubio under federal immigration law.
The policy, introduced in January, had prevented applicants from the affected countries from obtaining immigrant visas to enter the United States.
The Trump administration had defended the measure, citing concerns that some immigrants from the affected countries could become dependent on public assistance after arriving in the US.
Nigeria was among several African countries affected by the policy.
Other African countries on the list included Ghana, Cameroon, The Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Tunisia.
The affected countries also extended across Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America.
The court’s decision means the suspension of immigrant visa processing under the disputed policy has been blocked, pending further legal proceedings.
