The State Department will freeze immigrant visa processing for the citizens of dozens of nations over welfare concerns.
The department announced on Wednesday that it will stop processing visas for 75 countries. The Trump administration plans to enact the pause because migrants from the countries in question “take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates.”
“The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the department said.
“The pause impacts dozens of countries – including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea – whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival,” the statement continued. “We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused.”
The freeze is scheduled to go into effect on January 21. The pause will not affect non-immigrant visas, nor temporary tourist or business visas, which allow people to come to the United States on a temporary basis.
The freeze comes after investigations and public reporting has raised the prospect that fraudsters in Minnesota, especially from the Somali community in the Twin Cities area, have bilked taxpayers for billions of dollars in social service funding.
The freeze is just the latest action taken by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to restrict the number of immigrants allowed into and residing in the United States. The Secretary has previously taken steps to revoke the visas of immigrants in the United States who have expressed support for terror groups or committed crimes.
The Trump administration has also restricted the ability of residents of dozens of other countries to enter the United States. Last month, President Donald Trump signed an order adding 20 additional countries to a list that included 19 others setting restrictions and limits on nationals’ ability to travel to the United States. The countries on the restricted list include some in Latin America, such as Venezuela and Cuba.
