Visa Processing Frozen for Immigrants from 75 Countries
President Donald Trump’s State Department has put a hold on all visa processing for 75 countries identified as sources of welfare-dependent immigrants to the United States.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced this suspension to prevent a further increase in welfare-dependent migration.
“We are halting the processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries whose migrants receive unacceptably high levels of welfare benefits from U.S. taxpayers,” the State Department stated. “This freeze will continue until we can ensure that new immigrants do not take advantage of American wealth.”
“This suspension impacts numerous countries, including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea. Migrants from these areas often encounter official scrutiny upon arriving,” the statement noted. “We aim to protect the generosity of the American populace from being exploited further. The Trump administration prioritizes America above all else.”
The countries affected by this visa processing freeze include:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Yemen.
This decision follows data shared by President Trump regarding welfare use among immigrant groups. It highlighted that over 81 percent of migrant households from Bhutan rely on welfare, alongside 75 percent of families from Yemen, 72 percent from Somalia, and more.
Significant headlines have emerged surrounding the extensive welfare use by immigrant communities in the U.S., particularly following reports of a large-scale fraud scheme involving Somali immigrants in Minnesota.
As noted in reports, nearly all households led by Somali immigrants in Minnesota are receiving some form of welfare assistance. The figures indicate that 81 percent of these households utilize multiple welfare programs, including 27 percent on cash assistance, 54 percent on food stamps, and 73 percent on Medicaid.
In contrast, only 21 percent of U.S.-born Americans in Minnesota access welfare, with just 6 percent receiving cash assistance, 7 percent on food stamps, and 18 percent on Medicaid.
