U.S. to suspend immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries

The Trump administration said on Wednesday it would suspend processing of immigrant visas for people from 75 countries, a move officials described as part of efforts to curtail legal migration to the United States. The State Department said in a social media post the effort was meant to discourage immigration from countries "whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates." It did not provide a full list but confirmed Somalia, Haiti, Iran and Eritrea would be included and did not specify the percentage of immigrants from those countries who use public assistance.

Federal officials said the pause would begin on Jan. 21 and would remain in place while the department reassesses its processing procedures. The suspension would not apply to people seeking to enter the United States temporarily for tourism, business or medical treatment. Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said the administration would "use its longstanding authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge," and added that the administration was "bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people." The announcement follows other recent measures, including full or partial travel restrictions on citizens from 39 countries and a December pause on some immigration applications from nationals of countries subject to the president’s travel ban.

Key Topics

Politics, Trump Administration, Immigrant Visas, Somalia, Haiti, Iran