Rubio Declares Immigration Regulations Exempt From Public Notice

Regulations governing visa policies and other immigration matters fall under a “foreign affairs” exception to the Administrative Procedure Act, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Thursday, potentially allowing for them to bypass a public and notice comment process for new rulemaking.

Most federal regulations are subject to a public notice period that can delay their effective date, but agencies have increasingly claimed the foreign affairs exception.

Rubio determined “that all efforts, conducted by any agency of the federal government, to control the status, entry, and exit of people, and the transfer of goods, services, data, technology, and other items across ...