US suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries including 11 from CARICOM

The United States is indefinitely suspending immigrant visa processing from 75 countries – including 11 in CARICOM but not Guyana – in another expansion of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.

CNN said in a report today that the pause in processing will apply to countries including Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Haiti, Somalia and Russia. The suspension applies to immigrant visas, such as those for employment or to join family in the US. The pause does not apply to non-immigrant visas like student and tourist visas, and as such would not apply for those seeking to travel to the World Cup in the US this summer.

The pause will begin on January 21, a US official said. The inclusion of 11 countries from CARICOM – including Jamaica, Barbados and the Bahamas – will pose a challenge to the regional integration movement. Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname are not on the list.

The suspension comes after the State Department last year directed increased scrutiny under the “public charge” provision of immigration law meant to target those who the Trump administration believes will become a strain on public resources, CNN said.

“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,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement today.

“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,” he said.

A number of the countries impacted by the visa processing suspension were already included as part of the administration’s expanded travel ban list.

According to a US official, the countries impacted by the suspension in immigrant visa processing are Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, 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.

Reuters said in a report that 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, Reuters reported.

“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.

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.