Judge Blocks 75-Country Visa Denial Policy, State Dept Slams Ruling as Rogue

A U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas blocked the State Department from enforcing a policy that would force consular officers to deny immigrant visas to nationals of 75 countries solely based on nationality, ruling the directive bypassed individualized public-charge assessments and other statutory grounds; the ruling drew a sharp rebuke from the State Department, which called the judge a 'rogue' while emphasizing that nonimmigrant visas are not affected and that the department will continue pursuing its policy under law.