A U.S. federal court has blocked the Trump administration's measure to suspend the issuance of immigrant visas for nationals from 75 countries.

The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 21st (local time) that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled the State Department's visa restriction measure violated the law.

In its ruling, the court stated that the administration's claim—that issuing visas to immigrants from the 75 countries could pose a financial burden on U.S. citizens—was groundless.

The court also found that the directive violated laws requiring individualized reviews, as U.S. authorities had been instructed to deny visa issuances even to immigrants with a high likelihood of self-sufficiency.

In particular, the court ruled that all visa denial decisions previously made based on this policy are invalid.

Consequently, the need to re-evaluate all past visa applications has been raised.

In January, the Trump administration announced that it would suspend immigrant visa issuance for 75 countries whose immigrants were found to be receiving welfare benefits from U.S. citizens.

The 75 countries included Somalia, Haiti, and Iran, as well as Russia, Brazil, and Colombia, alongside numerous U.S. allies such as Jordan and Egypt.

In response, U.S. civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit to invalidate the policy, calling it an attempt to "completely upend the immigration legal framework established over decades."

An attorney representing the plaintiffs welcomed the ruling, calling it "a crucial victory for hundreds of thousands of families around the world who were thrown into chaos by the administration's illegal and discriminatory visa ban."

The Department of Justice and the White House have not yet released official statements regarding the ruling.