By Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk
WASHINGTON, Jan 14 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is suspending processing for immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday, as part of Washington’s intensifying immigration crackdown.
The pause, which will impact applicants from countries including Somalia, Iran, Russia, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Yemen, Thailand and Brazil, will begin on January 21, the spokesperson said. It does not affect visitor visas.
“The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people,” Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the State Department said.
“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 added.
The move was first reported by Fox News.
Trump has pursued a sweeping immigration crackdown since returning to office in January. His administration has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major U.S. cities and sparking violent confrontations with both migrants and U.S. citizens.
While he campaigned on stopping illegal immigration into the United States, his administration has made legal immigration more difficult, for example, by imposing new and expensive fees on the applicants of H-1B visas for highly skilled workers.
“This administration has proven itself to have the most anti-legal immigration agenda in American history,” David Bier, Cato’s Director of Immigration Studies and The Selz Foundation Chair in Immigration Policy, said in a statement.
“This action will ban nearly half of all legal immigrants to the United States, turning away about 315,000 legal immigrants over the next year alone,” Bier said.
Trump, a Republican, recaptured the White House promising record levels of deportations, saying it was needed after years of high levels of illegal immigration under his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.
The State Department has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump took office, it said on Monday. The administration has also adopted a stricter policy on granting visas, with tightened social media vetting and expanded screening.
In November, Trump had vowed to “permanently pause” migration from all “Third World Countries” following a shooting near the White House by an Afghan national that killed a National Guard member.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey, Simon Lewis and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Costas Pitas, Rosalba O’Brien and Chizu Nomiyama )
Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.