The State Department freezes immigrant visa processing of 75 countries in an attempt to tighten the applicants it deems likely to become a public charge.
According to an internal memo first reported by Fox News Digital, the order directs the embassies and consulates to suspend their decisions starting from January 21 as the department reviews its vetting process within the current immigration law.
The bid comes before the United States is set to co-host the 2026 World Cup, with almost 2 million tickets sold to fans worldwide.
The Trump administration earlier said that “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling to the World Cup” would be exempt from travel bans.
The State Department stated that the suspension of immigrant visas will not apply to applicants who seek a non-immigrant visa, or a temporary tourist or business visa, which comprises the large majority of visa applicants.
Therefore, the announced suspensions would not apply to those who want to visit the World Cup in the U.S. this summer. A spokesperson of the State Department affirmed that the agency was halting immigrant visa processing for the 75 nations.
In a statement on Wednesday, State Department principal deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott said, “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. 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.”
Pigott added Wednesday in the statement, “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”
However, the Trump administration has scrutinized Somalia over the past few days due to fraud in the Minnesota social services system. A self-proclaimed independent journalist posted a video last month alleging child care fraud in Minneapolis’ Somali communities.
Several state and local officials have argued the accuracy of the video, and authorities reported at the time none of the centers featured in the video were accused of fraud. Federal officials are investigating the charges in the state’s social services system, and Minnesota officials have refuted the fraud claims.
In a meeting with his Cabinet last month, President Donald Trump recently attacked Somali immigrants, calling them ‘garbage’ and stating that he did not want them in the United States.
The Trump administration declared on Tuesday that it would settle Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis in March, effectively forcing as many as 2,400 people out of the U.S., despite the president’s remarks last month that Somalia was “barely a country.”
The State Department sent a cable to its consular offices around the world telling its staff to implement more stringent screening standards in the so-called “public charge” provision. Throughout the guidance, the officers must issue visa rejections to those who seem to be relying on welfare.
The full list of countries affected by the suspension announced on Wednesday as per an internal memo, are: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, 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 and Yemen.
