A group of civil rights organizations has initiated a federal lawsuit in Manhattan challenging the State Department's recent suspension of immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries. The complaint, filed on behalf of a range of plaintiffs, asks a judge to issue an order blocking the policy that went into effect on January 21.
The lawsuit was brought by the National Immigration Law Center and other advocacy groups. It argues the policy "eviscerate (d) decades of settled immigration law," and contends the move is grounded in "an unsupported and demonstrably false claim that nationals of the covered countries migrate to the United States to improperly rely on cash welfare and are likely to become 'public charges.'"
Among the plaintiffs are U.S. citizens who say the pause has separated them from family members, and an endocrinologist from Colombia who had been approved for an employment-based visa but cannot receive it because Colombia is one of the nations included in the State Department action.
The pause has affected applicants from a broad swath of countries. The complaint identifies impacts on people from Latin American nations, including Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay; Balkan states such as Bosnia and Albania; South Asian countries including Pakistan and Bangladesh; and numerous countries across Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean.
The State Department policy covers immigrant visas and does not affect U.S. visitor visas. The complaint and subsequent reporting note that visitor visas have been under attention given that the United States will host the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
According to a State Department cable outlining the policy and reviewed by reporters, the Department is conducting a "full review" of policies, regulations and guidance to ensure "the highest level of screening and vetting" for all U.S. visa applicants. The cable stated that applicants from the 75 affected countries "are at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state and federal government resources in the United States."
The lawsuit seeks judicial relief to halt the pause while the legal challenge proceeds. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the litigation.
The case places the administrative decision to pause immigrant visa processing at the center of a legal dispute over statutory and constitutional protections, and highlights consequences for families and approved employment-based applicants who now face delays or inability to obtain visas. The determination by the State Department to review and more tightly screen applicants is cited in the agency cable as the basis for the action, while plaintiffs argue the agency's stated rationale is unsupported.