On August 21, 2025, a federal court in Washington, D.C. delivered a significant legal blow to former President Donald Trump’s travel ban, ruling that the administration cannot use the ban as a reason to halt the issuance of visas. The decision, handed down by U.S. District Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan, has far-reaching implications for more than 100 immigrants, including many who were selected for the U.S. diversity visa lottery and feared losing their chance to immigrate before the fiscal year’s end.
The case, Thein v. Trump, centered on the administration’s June 4, 2025, proclamation, which suspended entry from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Burma, Somalia, Togo, and Iran. According to Migrant Insider, the judge’s preliminary injunction explicitly ordered the State Department to continue adjudicating pending visa applications and barred consular officials from refusing visas solely based on the travel ban. The order also requires the government to provide weekly updates to the court on the number of cases processed, ensuring a level of transparency and urgency as the September 30 deadline looms—after which lottery winners would lose eligibility.
Judge Sooknanan’s ruling did not go so far as to declare Trump’s travel ban itself unlawful, nor did it guarantee that visa holders would ultimately be able to enter the United States. Instead, she clarified a crucial distinction: while Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act gives the president authority to restrict entry, it does not grant power to halt visa issuance. In her order, Sooknanan wrote, “It may well be that, because of circumstances outside of their control, they will ultimately be unable to enter the United States even if they get a visa. But all the Plaintiffs are asking for is an answer on their applications, and one that is given lawfully.” (Bloomberg Law)
The plaintiffs, represented by Curtis Morrison of Red Eagle Law, argued that by refusing to process their applications, the State Department was violating the Administrative Procedure Act, as well as the separation of powers and the nondelegation doctrine. “Congress was clear that 212(f) only gave authority for an entry ban, and not a visa issuance ban,” Morrison told Migrant Insider. “So the judge definitely got that right. Now, let’s hope when it’s time for the administration to review the ban at the 90-day mark they do that in good faith, and it leads to a less restrictive ban that will allow plaintiffs with issued visas to enter.”
The diversity visa program, often called the green card lottery, allocates up to 55,000 visas each year to applicants from countries with historically low rates of U.S. immigration. Millions apply annually, but only a small fraction are selected. This year, many lottery winners hailed from countries fully or partially covered by Trump’s June proclamation, including Afghanistan, Burma, Togo, Somalia, and Iran. For these individuals, the ban not only threatened their dreams of immigrating to the U.S., but also jeopardized job opportunities and family reunification, as their visas would be forfeited if not issued by September 30.
The administration’s justification for the entry ban cited high visa overstay rates and the refusal of designated countries to cooperate with deportations. The proclamation also left open the possibility for the administration to add or remove countries from the ban 90 days after its issuance, a review period that plaintiffs and their advocates hope will bring relief. “Let’s hope when it’s time for the Trump administration to review the ban at the 90-day mark they do that in good faith,” Morrison said, echoing the hopes of many whose futures hang in the balance.
While the court’s ruling was a relief for many, it did not resolve all the uncertainties faced by immigrants and students from the affected countries. At the University of Texas at Austin, a group of Iranian students sent a letter to interim President Jim Davis on July 21, 2025, urging the university to publicly oppose Trump’s travel ban on Iran and take legal action. The letter, obtained by Al Jazeera, described the measure as “sweeping and discriminatory,” arguing that it undermined the university’s principles and threatened the academic contributions of Iranian students and scholars. “This is a moment that calls for bold and principled action,” the letter stated. “UT Austin has long benefited from Iranian students’ academic contributions. It must now stand in their defense.”
The university, however, did not respond publicly to the students’ plea, nor did President Davis issue a statement. According to Al Jazeera, 81 Iranians were enrolled at UT Austin during the 2023–2024 academic year, most as graduate students. The uncertainty surrounding visa approvals has led to prolonged administrative processing, refusals, and in some cases, students skipping interviews altogether, believing that denial was inevitable. “People must not be equated with their governments,” one anonymous student told Al Jazeera. “Such blanket measures are neither reasonable nor fair, and they undermine the very principles of justice, academic freedom, and equal opportunity that the United States has long stood for.”
The ripple effects of the travel ban have been felt across U.S. campuses. As AP reported, students from some countries simply won’t make it to class this fall, either because they cannot get visa appointments or are too afraid to try. Universities are struggling to respond, with administrators expressing concern over the loss of international talent and the chilling effect on global academic collaboration.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s approach to visa issuance has drawn sharp criticism from humanitarian groups. In mid-August, the U.S. State Department announced a halt to all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza, pending a “full and thorough review” of recent medical-humanitarian cases. The move effectively shut down a pathway used to bring wounded Palestinian children to the U.S. for surgeries and prosthetics unavailable in Gaza. The decision followed a smear campaign by far-right influencer Laura Loomer, who posted misleading videos of injured children and called for Gazans to be added to Trump’s travel ban. The Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and HEAL Palestine decried the visa freeze as “dangerous and inhumane,” warning that it cut off a vital lifeline for children in desperate need of care in the midst of escalating violence in Gaza.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio characterized the pause as a procedural review, but the timing and context left many unconvinced. The freeze coincided with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intensified military operations in Gaza City, as well as leaked audio from Israeli military intelligence advocating for mass Palestinian casualties. Rights groups and independent journalists have documented the use of starvation as a weapon of war, adding to the sense that U.S. visa policy is increasingly intertwined with broader geopolitical and humanitarian crises.
For now, Judge Sooknanan’s ruling offers a measure of hope to diversity visa lottery winners and others caught in the crosshairs of shifting immigration policies. But with deadlines fast approaching and the political winds still swirling, the fate of thousands remains uncertain, a stark reminder of the precariousness of the American dream for so many around the world.
