The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday that it will stop immigrant visa processing from 75 countries, and some reports said the affected nations include several in Central Asia.
The measure is part of a broad crackdown on immigration that has unfolded during the second term of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said many people from other countries are threatening U.S. security and taking advantage of American resources. Critics say immigration raids and other some administration initiatives have gone too far, actually making U.S. cities less safe and violating basic rights.
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants 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 U.S. agency said on X.
“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 State Department said. “We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused.”
The statement did not list all the countries affected by the new measure, which takes effect on January 21. Nor did it say how long the pause will last.
However, Fox News Digital, which reported that it had seen a State Department memo about the new policy, published a list of what it said were the 75 affected countries. It included Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were not on the list. Some other media outlets reported the same information.
The State Department policy appeared to be partly linked to a Minnesota scandal in which dozens of people, including many Somali-Americans, were convicted of defrauding the state of welfare funds. Minneapolis, Minnesota’s biggest city, is currently a flashpoint for tension and protests over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
The new State Department measure does not apply to non-immigrant visas, which would include people traveling to the United States for tourism or business. But additional restrictions are also in place for people seeking those temporary visas.
Nationals from 38 countries, including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, are subject to U.S. visa bonds under a State Department policy. The policy took effect for citizens from Turkmenistan on January 1 and will be implemented for nationals from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan starting on January 21.
