A U.S. federal court has ordered the State Department to issue travel documents for the family members of several Afghan refugees within 15 days, ruling that U.S. travel restrictions on Afghan nationals cannot be used to block approved refugee family reunification cases.
The decision, issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, found that the travel restrictions do not apply to Afghan refugees already admitted to the United States or to eligible relatives whose family reunification cases had been approved before the restrictions took effect.
The lawsuit was brought by seven Afghan refugees after their relatives were prevented from traveling to the United States despite having completed visa processing and receiving travel authorization before the policy was implemented. The plaintiffs argued that the suspension unlawfully separated families and conflicted with protections provided under U.S. refugee and immigration law.
Under the court’s order, the State Department must issue travel documents for the relatives of five plaintiffs within 15 days. It also directed the department to reconsider other pending family reunification applications without applying the travel restrictions contained in the presidential proclamation.
The court further ordered the State Department to submit progress reports every two weeks until the affected family members are permitted to travel, ensuring continued judicial oversight of the government’s compliance.
The State Department has not publicly commented on the ruling, and it remains unclear whether the U.S. government will appeal the decision.
The case was originally filed in October last year against the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The plaintiffs argued that the agencies had unlawfully delayed or denied family reunification despite statutory protections available to refugees already admitted to the United States.
The dispute stems from a series of travel restrictions introduced under President Donald Trump. The first proclamation took effect in June 2025, restricting entry for citizens of Afghanistan and several other countries on national security grounds. The list of affected countries was later expanded, prompting legal challenges from refugee advocates and immigrant-rights organizations.
Lawyers representing the Afghan refugees argued that the presidential proclamations explicitly exempt refugees already admitted to the United States and their eligible immediate family members. They contended that federal agencies incorrectly applied the restrictions by freezing applications that had already received approval.
The ruling could provide relief to Afghan refugee families who have remained separated for months despite completing lengthy immigration, security and background screening procedures. Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, tens of thousands of Afghans have been admitted to the United States through refugee admissions, humanitarian parole and the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program. Many of their spouses, children and other close relatives, however, remain stranded abroad awaiting permission to travel.
Immigration advocates welcomed the decision, saying it reinforces the principle of family reunification, a longstanding component of the U.S. refugee resettlement system. They argue that prolonged family separation causes significant humanitarian hardship and undermines the protection objectives of refugee programs.
Legal experts said the judgment currently applies only to the plaintiffs involved in the case but could influence how U.S. authorities handle similar applications from Afghan refugee families affected by travel restrictions. The decision may also shape future court interpretations of presidential immigration measures where they conflict with protections established under U.S. refugee law.
