The State Department is now halting visa processing for 75 nations that are considered to present a high risk of applicants seeking American welfare benefits. It’s quite a list of nations, including Iran, Russia, Afghanistan, and (no shock here) Somalia. The pause will remain in place while the State Department does a reassessment of the visa process.
A State Department memo, seen first by Fox News Digital, directs consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures.
The countries include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Yemen and more.
The pause will begin Jan. 21 and will continue indefinitely until the department conducts a reassessment of visa processing.
The goal of all this includes heightened screening meant to deter people who present a risk of entering the USA solely to receive taxpayer-funded benefits. The goal of an immigration program should be to bring in people who will be a net asset to the United States; this change in procedure forwards that goal.
In November 2025, a State Department cable sent to posts around the globe instructed consular officers to enforce sweeping new screening rules under the so-called “public charge” provision of immigration law.
The guidance instructs consular officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits, weighing a wide range of factors including health, age, English proficiency, finances and even potential need for long-term medical care.
Older or overweight applicants could be denied, along with those who had any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalization.
“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 Piggott said in a statement.
That doesn’t seem unreasonable.
Read More: Net Migration to the US Hits Milestone Number Not Seen in Over 50 Years
Rubio Targets Five Foreign Operatives Who Conspired With Big Tech to Censor Americans
Here’s the thing: Freedom of association belongs to nations as well as individuals, and includes freedom of disassociation. Just as we can choose who we allow or don’t allow into our homes, American citizens can choose who they allow or don’t allow into their country. We do that through our elected officials. In the 2024 election, Donald Trump ran with immigration reform as a major platform plank. Now the Trump administration is carrying out the will of the voters. It’s that simple. It’s hard to see a good argument for freely admitting people who come to the United States and immediately hop on the American welfare gravy train, much less make free use of that system to engage in fraud on a Brobdingnagian scale, which is what is happening all over the country. This reassessment looks to be aimed directly at stopping that.
Here’s the complete list of countries affected by the pause:
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.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump, illegal immigration into our great country has virtually stopped. Despite the radical left’s lies, new legislation wasn’t needed to secure our border, just a new president.
Help us continue to report the truth about the president’s border policies and mass deportations. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
