A coalition of civil rights organizations, immigrant rights bodies, and U.S. citizens filed a sprawling 106-page federal lawsuit on Monday, challenging the Trump administration’s recent suspension of immigrant visa processing for 75 countries. The legal challenge argues that the “pause,” announced in mid-January, constitutes an unlawful, nationality-based ban that violates both the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit, supported by the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), the Center for Constitutional Rights, and The Legal Aid Society, among others, alleges that the administration is relying on a “demonstrably false narrative” to justify the restrictions. The State Department has claimed the suspension is necessary to prevent “public charges” from extracting wealth from the American people, despite the fact that most immigrants are ineligible for federal assistance programs.
75-country ban news:
We have just learned that another lawsuit has been filed in New York that aims to stop the 75-country pause for all.
Joanna Cuevas Ingram, an attorney representing plaintiffs, told the New York Times that “the administration was flagrantly violating the… pic.twitter.com/tBMfuEPDM7
— Red Eagle Law, L.C. (@RedEagleLaw) February 2, 2026
Key Allegations of the Lawsuit
- Unlawful Discrimination: The plaintiffs argue that the policy violates the INA’s prohibition on discriminating against visa applicants based on race, nationality, or place of residence.
- Misuse of “Public Charge” Rules: The complaint asserts that the administration has replaced individualized assessments with a sweeping, categorical ban based on nationality, misinterpreting the “public charge” provision of the INA.
- Discriminatory Intent: Legal counsel for the plaintiffs argue the list of 75 countries—which includes nations across Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia—disproportionately targets non-white families based on “pretextual tropes.”
“This policy is arbitrary, unlawful, and deeply harmful to families who have followed every rule and are simply seeking to reunite with their loved ones,” said Hasan Shafiqullah, an immigration supervising lawyer at The Legal Aid Society. “Congress and the Constitution prohibit white supremacy as a grounds for immigration policy.”
The affected nations include Afghanistan, Nigeria, Brazil, Russia, Ethiopia, and several others across the Caribbean and Pacific Islands. While the State Department, through spokesperson Tommy Pigott, maintains that the measure is necessary to ensure “financial self-sufficiency” and protect “American citizens first,” the lawsuit points to the irreparable harm caused to U.S. citizens whose approved petitions for spouses and children are now indefinitely frozen.
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The Path Forward
This lawsuit joins a wave of legal challenges against the administration’s immigration directives, including the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. While the 2018 Supreme Court ruling (Trump v. Hawaii) granted the executive broad discretion over national security-based entries, the current plaintiffs argue that the “public charge” justification lacks the same legal standing and fails to meet the statutory requirements set by Congress.
The plaintiffs are seeking an immediate injunction to halt the suspension and resume the processing of immigrant visas for the affected nations.
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