The US federal court has ruled illegal the decision by the Trump administration to suspend the issuance of immigration visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Armenia, according to Reuters.
Judge Jeanette Vargas of the Manhattan District Court deemed the decision 'clearly illegal,' as the suspension of visas was based solely on the nationality of the applicants.
The judge asserted that Marco Rubio exceeded his authority, as legislation does not permit the Secretary of State to intervene in the operations of consulates in such a manner.
The State Department's justification for the restrictions introduced in January this year stated that citizens from these 75 countries were likely to become a financial burden on the state and benefit from social support in the US.
This specifically referred to immigration visas and did not apply to the issuance of tourist and other temporary visas to the US.
In addition to Armenia, the restrictions affected citizens from Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Moldova, as well as Somalia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Uruguay, Lebanon, and other countries.
