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The United States said on Wednesday it was suspending the processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries, President Donald Trump’s latest move against foreigners seeking to enter the United States.
The United States has long rejected visa applications from 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 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.
Leavitt said other affected countries would include several with friendly relations with the United States, including Brazil, Egypt and Thailand. The State Department did not immediately release a full list of countries.
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.
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.
