Khaberni - A group of civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit against the U.S. State Department following its decision to suspend the visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, considering this policy "undermines decades of established immigration laws."
The National Immigration Law Center, along with other organizations, filed the lawsuit on behalf of a broad range of plaintiffs, including U.S. citizens who claimed they had been separated from family members as a result of the visa processing suspension.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the federal court in Manhattan, seeks a judicial order to prevent the enforcement of this policy, which took effect on January 21st.
The complaint states that the State Department's policy is "based on an unsubstantiated and clearly false claim" that citizens of the affected countries migrate to the United States to improperly rely on cash subsidies, and that they are likely to become "a burden on the public coffers."
The U.S. State Department has not yet responded to a request for comment.
The temporary suspension includes applicants from countries in Latin America such as Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay, countries in the Balkan region like Bosnia and Albania, and countries in South Asia including Pakistan and Bangladesh, in addition to a large number from Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean region.
Visitor Visas
This policy does not include visitor visas to the United States, which are seeing increased interest as the country prepares to host the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics.
According to a cable from the State Department, the decision is part of a "comprehensive review" of all policies, regulations, and directives, aimed at ensuring "the highest level of scrutiny and verification" for visa applicants entering the United States.
The cable, which was directed to U.S. missions abroad, noted that the applicants from the 75 countries "are significantly at risk of becoming a burden on public resources, and relying on local, state, and federal government resources in the United States."
