Federal judge blocks 75-country visa pause in Brooks Law case

By AI, Created 5:01 PM UTC, June 03, 2026, /AGP/ – A federal judge in Massachusetts granted a preliminary injunction blocking the State Department’s nationality-based immigrant visa pause in one client’s case, marking one of only two such rulings nationwide. The order could help challenge a policy that suspended visa issuances for nationals of 75 countries.

Why it matters: - The ruling blocks the State Department’s 75-country immigrant visa pause in one case and orders the government to resume processing for Brooks Law Firm’s client. - The decision is one of only two preliminary injunctions granted by a federal court against the policy, making it a rare judicial setback for the visa pause. - The case affects an elderly U.S. citizen in Lynn, Massachusetts, who has tried since 2015 to reunite with his adult son.

What happened: - U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the District of Massachusetts granted the injunction on June 2, 2026, in Civil No. 25-12804-LTS, Ullah v. LaFave and Rubio. - Brooks Law Firm said the ruling blocks the State Department’s so-called Nationality-Based Pause as applied to its client’s immigrant visa case. - The policy was announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in January 2026. - The policy suspended immigrant visa issuances for nationals of 75 countries. - The policy directed consular officers to refuse visa applications from those countries under INA Section 221(g), even when no independent legal grounds to deny the visa existed.

The details: - Attorney Carl Hurvich argued the case for Brooks Law Firm. - Judge Sorokin found the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits. - The court concluded the Nationality-Based Pause violates federal immigration law by overriding individualized visa adjudication authority Congress gave to consular officers. - The court found the Immigration and Nationality Act does not authorize the Secretary of State to categorically bar entire nationalities from immigrant visa eligibility regardless of individual circumstances. - The court also found the family’s harm could not be compensated by money damages. - The defendants must immediately lift the pause as applied to the firm’s client’s visa application. - Carl Hurvich is a senior associate attorney at Brooks Law Firm and is admitted in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and before the First Circuit Court of Appeals. - Hurvich graduated from Oberlin College and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. - Hurvich focuses on complex immigration matters, including removal defense, federal court litigation, and cases at the intersection of criminal and immigration law. - Hurvich has appeared before Immigration Court, USCIS, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and state and federal courts across the region.

Between the lines: - The injunction signals that federal courts may be receptive to challenges arguing the State Department cannot impose nationality-wide visa blocks without individualized review. - The case also highlights the practical stakes of the pause for families separated by long-running immigration backlogs and denials. - Brooks Law Firm said it is also enrolling participants in a separate 39-Country Immigration Ban mass litigation.

What’s next: - The government must comply with the injunction in the client’s case unless it seeks and obtains further relief. - The Massachusetts ruling may become part of broader litigation over the 75-country pause. - Brooks Law Firm continues recruiting for its separate 39-country immigration ban mass litigation.

The bottom line: - The Massachusetts order is a narrow but notable win for challengers of the State Department’s nationality-based visa restrictions.