PORTLAND — A U.S. judge in Oregon on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction blocking a Trump administration proclamation that would require immigrants to show proof of health insurance to get a visa.
U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon said in a written opinion that the proclamation could not take effect while a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality makes its way through the courts.
The proclamation issued by President Donald Trump in October would only apply to people seeking immigrant visas from abroad — not those in the U.S. already.
Seven U.S. citizens and a nonprofit sued to prevent the rule from taking effect, saying it would block nearly two-thirds of all prospective legal immigrants.
The lawsuit also said the rule would greatly reduce or eliminate the number of immigrants who enter the U.S. with family sponsored visas.
“This decision is an important check on the Trump administration’s effort to rewrite our nation’s immigration and health care laws in violation of the boundaries set out in the Constitution,” said Esther Sung, an attorney with the Justice Action Center.
The White House has previously said it strongly disagreed with Simon’s decision to block the proclamation, declaring it “wrong and unfair” for a judge in a single court district to issue a ruling that could shut down a nationwide policy.
Simon previously issued an emergency temporary restraining order on Nov. 3 in response to the lawsuit and heard oral arguments before issuing Tuesday’s opinion.
