The State Department cites the use of social assistance programs as justification for suspending visa processing for citizens of Brazil, Iran, Russia, Somalia and other countries.
Donald Trump’s administration has indefinitely suspended the processing of immigrant visas for people from 75 countries, marking one of its most sweeping efforts to date to restrict legal pathways into the United States.
The freeze, which takes effect on January 21, targets applicants who authorities consider likely to become a “burden on the state” – people who may depend on government benefits for basic needs.
The State Department wrote on social media that it “will suspend processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries whose migrants receive social benefits from the American people at unacceptable rates.”
According to a State Department cable obtained by The Guardian, the full list of affected countries will be: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ivory Coast, 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, North 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.
“The freeze will remain in effect until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants do not extract wealth from the American people,” the statement continued. “We are working to ensure that the generosity of the American people is no longer exploited.”
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has intensified to record levels, even as nationwide protests over the death of Renee Good have drawn attention to the practices of law enforcement. The State Department says it has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump returned to office, while the Department of Homeland Security reported last month that more than 605,000 people have been deported and another 2.5 million have left the country on their own.
The government has particularly focused on Somali Americans following allegations of fraud and federal investigations in Minnesota. Trump referred to Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar as “trash” during a Cabinet meeting last month and said he didn’t want Somalis in the U.S. and that they should “go back to where they came from.”
The pause comes after Trump expanded travel bans to 39 countries in December, suspended the processing of asylum applications and halted applications for citizenship and permanent residence (green cards) for citizens of countries already subject to restrictions.
Research contradicts government claims about immigrants’ use of social benefits. In February 2025, the libertarian-oriented Cato Institute published a study showing that native-born Americans consumed, on average per capita, more social and social security benefits than all immigrants combined. The study found that immigrants consumed 21% fewer social and social security benefits than native-born Americans, per capita, in 2022.
Migration policy experts have also warned that the measure will have far-reaching consequences, which go beyond those directly affected by visa denials.
“The likely result will be that many immigrant families will be afraid to access any public benefits to which a family member is entitled, forgoing supports in times of need to preserve future immigration prospects,” wrote Julia Gelatt, associate director of the U.S. immigration policy program at the Migration Policy Institute, in an analysis published Wednesday.
During a State of the Union address in his first term, Trump defended legal immigration because immigrants “enrich our nation and strengthen our society in countless ways.” He went on to say in the same speech that he wanted people to enter the US “in record numbers, but to do so legally.”
Originally published by The Guardian on 01/14/2026
By José Gedeon – Washington
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2026/01/14/eua-vao-suspender-vistos-para-75-paises-incluindo-o-brasil/
