U.S. suspends immigrant visa processing for 75 countries

The United States said Wednesday it is suspending immigrant visa processing from 75 countries, part of President Donald Trump’s latest effort to restrict immigration.

“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 added.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that the affected countries include Somalia, Russia and Iran. Leavitt linked to a Fox News article listing additional nations, including Brazil, Egypt and Thailand. The State Department has not released a full list.

Trump has openly sought to reduce immigration from non-European countries, describing Somalis as “garbage” who should “go back to where they came from,” while expressing openness to Scandinavians moving to the United States.

The State Department said Monday it revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump returned, a one-year record. The Department of Homeland Security said last month that more than 605,000 people were deported and 2.5 million left voluntarily.

The move does not affect tourist, business or other visas, including for this year’s World Cup, although the administration plans to vet all applicants’ social media histories.