Lawsuit Filed Against US Visa Ban Policy

A group of US citizens and immigration-focused non-profit organizations has filed a federal lawsuit against Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the US State Department, seeking to block a sweeping visa suspension that affects applicants from dozens of countries.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Manhattan, argues that the visa ban undermines decades of established US immigration law and effectively dismantles long-standing legal protections. The case marks the first major legal challenge to the State Department policy announced and implemented last month.

Under the policy, visa approvals have been suspended for applicants from 75 countries. More than 85 percent of those countries are outside Europe and include large non-white populations, according to the plaintiffs.

The State Department said last month that the measure, which it described as a temporary suspension, is necessary to prevent migrants from becoming an excessive financial burden on US taxpayers. The department argued that applicants from the affected countries are more likely to rely on public assistance, classifying them as potential public charges.

However, the National Immigration Law Center and five other legal organizations rejected that justification, calling it unsupported and demonstrably false. The groups said most immigration visa applicants are not eligible for cash public benefits for many years, undermining the claim that they pose an immediate fiscal burden.

Joanna Cuevas Ingram, a senior attorney at the center, warned that the geographic scope of the new ban closely resembles restrictive immigration quotas imposed in the 1920s, which were later repealed during the civil rights era. She said the real concern is that the executive action is being used as a pretext to limit lawful immigration authorized by Congress and to revive racially based quota systems.

In response, a State Department spokesperson said in a statement that a US visa is a privilege, not a right. Secretary Rubio has emphasized that immigrants must demonstrate financial self-sufficiency, a requirement the department says helps prevent billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse while protecting public benefits for Americans.

Spokesperson Tommy Pigott added that the visa suspensions are intended to allow for a review and strengthening of screening and vetting procedures, and said the administration will continue to priorities the interests of US citizens.