State Department blasts back at 'rogue judge' who overturned aggressive visa crackdown

FIRST ON FOX: The State Department tore into the “rogue judge” who overturned its freeze on immigrant visas from 75 countries after she blasted the administration’s legal rationale as “an exercise in Orwellian logic.”

“American taxpayer-funded public benefits belong to Americans,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Fox News Digital. “President Trump has made clear that immigrants must be financially self-sufficient to protect these public benefits for American citizens.”

“This rogue judge’s misguided opinion wrongfully undermines the longstanding legal authority of the Secretary of State. We will keep fighting for commonsense visa policies that put America First.”

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled Friday that the State Department could not force consular officers to deny immigrant visas to otherwise eligible applicants solely because they are nationals of one of the 75 countries covered by the policy.

The policy did not apply to tourist or other nonimmigrant visas. Affected applicants could still submit applications and attend interviews, but consular officers were directed to refuse immigrant visas under the pause.

The ruling does not require the State Department to issue visas to any particular applicant. Consular officers may still deny a visa based on an individualized public-charge finding or another statutory ground of inadmissibility.