Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre is urging caution following a US federal judge’s decision to strike down a Trump administration policy suspending immigrant visa issuance to applicants from 75 countries, including Saint Lucia.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Pierre said Saint Lucians should wait to see whether the decision survives a possible appeal to the US Supreme Court.
“In the Supreme Court there are pro-Trump judges, so we can’t dance and sing about that decision as yet,” Pierre said.
The comments came after US District Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York ruled that the policy exceeded the statutory authority of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Vargas described the policy as “patently unlawful”, finding that it conflicted with federal immigration law.
The policy, introduced in January, suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries across Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Caribbean. Saint Lucia was among the countries affected.
The US State Department had defended the suspension on the grounds that applicants from the designated countries were considered at high risk of becoming a “public charge” — meaning they were likely to depend on government assistance in the United States.
However, Vargas ruled that US immigration law requires a case-by-case assessment when determining whether an immigrant is likely to become a public charge.
That assessment can take into account factors including an applicant’s finances, age, health, skills and family circumstances.
The lawsuit was brought by immigrant rights organisations, immigrant visa applicants and US citizens sponsoring family members from the affected countries.
The ruling sets aside the 75-country suspension, but it does not automatically grant visas to affected applicants. Individual applications can still be assessed under other provisions of US immigration law.
