DELETE US suspends immigrant visa processing for 75 countries

WASHINGTON: The United States said Wednesday it was suspending the processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries, President Donald Trump's latest move against foreigners seeking to come to America.

The United States has long rejected visas for people who appear likely to need government welfare, but the State Department said it would now use the same authority to impose a blanket suspension of immigrant visas based on nationality.

“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America's immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

Immigrant visa processing 

“Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits,” he said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that the countries affected would include Somalia -- whose people Trump has attacked in heated terms after immigrants were involved in a funding scandal in Minnesota -- as well as Russia and Iran.

A US official said the other affected countries would include those with friendly relations with the United States, such as Brazil, Egypt, and Thailand.

Other countries facing the pause include Nigeria — Africa's most populous country — as well as Afghanistan, Iraq, and Yemen, the official said.

Freeze to begin on Jan. 21 

The State Department released a full list of countries.

The freeze will begin on Jan. 21 with no set end time, the US official, who was not authorized to speak to the press, said on condition of anonymity.

Trump has made no secret of his desire to reduce immigration by people who are not of European descent.

He has described Somalis as “garbage” who should “go back to where they came from,” and instead said he was open to Scandinavians moving to the United States.

100,000 visas revoked 

The State Department said Monday that it has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump's return, a one-year record.

The Department of Homeland Security last month said that the Trump administration has deported more than 605,000 people, and that 2.5 million others left on their own.

The latest move does not affect tourist, business, or other visas, including for soccer fans seeking to visit for this year's World Cup, although the Trump administration has vowed to vet all applicants' social media histories.