The Trump administration is placing an indefinite pause on immigrant visa processing from 26 African countries, further restricting the legal routes for entering the US.
The visa applications suspensions is for travellers from 75 countries, including visitors from almost half of Africa.
The State Department on Wednesday said the administration wants to bring “an end to the abuse” of the system “by those who would extract wealth from the American people” by using welfare and public benefits.
President Donald Trump has sought to limit both illegal and legal crossing into the US since returning to office, and his administration has already halted immigrant visa processing for people from Brazil, Iran, Russia and Somalia.
The order takes effect on 21 January, but a full list of the 75 countries has not yet been released. Most of the suspended countries are in Africa and Latin America.
The affected African countries are : Algeria, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia and Uganda.
The new list includes a mix of countries that the US has a difficult relationship (South Africa, Somalia, Eritrea) and regional powerhouses (Nigeria, Ethiopia) but also key US allies (Egypt, Morocco, Côte d’Ivoire) and countries that the US has been courting for their minerals (Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Guinea).
Also on the list are three of the five countries – Gabon, Senegal, Liberia – that Trump invited for his working lunch with African leaders last year.
“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. “Immigration 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.”
In recent months, the State Department has increased restrictions on migration from countries Trump has deemed a threat to national security, including Russia, Iran and Afghanistan and several countries in Africa.
