User:Burt Harris/sandbox/counsular
State Department Action[edit]
On January 27, 2017 the honorable Edward J. Ramotowski, deputy assistant secretary of state for visa services, signed a one page directive provisionally revoking some visas issued to nationals of seven countries. Those countries were designated countries of special concern under previous administrations, and not specifically called out in the executive order, or otherwise specified by Trump administration appointees.
The well established US legal doctrine of consular nonreviewability precludes judicial review of visa decisions made by State Department officers. This may prove pivotal in the disposition of legal challenges action currently pending. At least one attorney challenging the legality of the actions has clarified that he did not know of the State Department action when he sought a temporary restraining order. [1][2]