Caribbean immigration advocates in New York have welcomed a United States Federal District Court ruling striking down the Trump administration’s indefinite suspension of immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries, including some in the Caribbean.

US District Judge Jeannette Vargas, in the Southern District of New York, on Friday, ruled in favour of the plaintiffs in CLINIC v. Rubio, stating that the Trump administration’s policy was “contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority.”

Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella advocacy organisation of over 200 immigrant and refugee groups in New York State, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Saturday that, “By siding with the plaintiffs, the court restores the long-standing immigration process that ensures visas are issued on a case-by-case basis, not decided by nationality.