AUGUST 26, 2026
Contact: media@haitianbridge.org,  Paige Censale, pcensale@haitianbridge.org

SAN DIEGO, CA  — Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) welcomes a federal court ruling striking down the Trump administration’s policy that suspended the processing of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries, the Republic of Haiti including countries across Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, South Asia, and the Middle East.

On August 21, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York ruled that the State Department policy exceeded  the statutory authority of the Secretary of State and was contrary to federal immigration law. The court’s decision restores the requirement that immigrant visa applications be evaluated under the individualized standards established by law rather than through a blanket nationality-based suspension.

HBA recognizes the ruling as an important affirmation of the rule of law and a rejection of policies that impose sweeping immigration consequences based solely on nationality.

“This decision is an important reminder that immigration policy cannot be built on nationality-based assumptions or stereotypes,” said Guerline Jozef, Executive Director of Haitian Bridge Alliance. “Families, workers, and communities deserve a fair opportunity to have their cases evaluated individually and according to the law. While we welcome this ruling, we cannot lose sight of the other barriers that continue to place the Global South at a profound disadvantage.”

While the court rejected nationality-based exclusion from immigrant-visa processing, economic barriers to temporary travel remain. On August 3, 2026, the State Department created a permanent program under which certain applicants for B-1/B-2 business and tourist visas from designated countries may be required to post a bond of up to $20,000 as a condition of visa issuance. In addition, the Trump-Vance administration is advancing a proposed pilot program that could require certain prospective immigrants to post financial bonds of up to $250,000 as a condition of receiving an immigrant visa.

“The court’s decision is significant, but it is not the end of the story,” Jozef added. “A visa  program that covers 50 designated countries, with 30 in Africa to produce up to $20,000 simply to obtain a temporary visitor visa creates another enormous economic barrier to mobility. We will continue to challenge policies that make access to the United States dependent on wealth, nationality, or racialized assumptions rather than fairness and equal treatment.”

ABOUT HAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCE

Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), also known as “The Bridge”, is a grassroots community organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies, foreign policy, and provides migrants and immigrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black migrants, the Haitian community, women and girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses. HBA also seeks to elevate the issues unique to Black migrants and builds solidarity and collective movement toward policy change. Anpil men chay pa lou (“Many hands make the load light”). Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @haitianbridge