WASHINGTON D.C: The Donald Trump administration is known for its massive crackdown on immigrants. US President Donald Trump deems the removal of illegal immigrants from the country as an important pillar of his “Make America Great Again”(MAGA) and “America First” policy. He considers migrants a burden on the U.S. Treasury. In the latest escalation, in line with the conservative Trump policy, the United States has halted visa processing for nationals from 75 countries. Apparently, this list also includes citizens from Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The US State Department has cited that the immigrants from the listed 75 countries take welfare and other benefits at the cost of the American people at unacceptable rates, and they often become public charges in the United States. The underlying message from the US State Department is that the immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and other listed countries do not contribute to the growth of the American economy as a skilled workforce. Instead, they will only be a liability, imposing a burden on the state exchequer, which provides state-sponsored welfare benefits. This will put U.S. citizens at a disadvantage, depriving them of state benefits.
The US State Department has also reiterated that the visa processing freeze will remain in place until the United States can ensure that new immigrants do not drain wealth from the American people. The decision to halt visa processing for 75 countries follows President Donald Trump’s assertion that no country can afford to take in millions of people and pay for their education and health care. “The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people. Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits”, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott exclaimed.
The latest decision to impose a blanket ban on visa processing for nationals of 75 countries will take effect on January 21. The countries under US scrutiny span all continents, including Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. Apart from imposing the indefinite restriction on the visa processing, the Trump administration has also asserted that it will not channelise any payments to the sanctuary cities(a municipality that limits or denies its cooperation with the national government in enforcing the immigration laws) from next month, if they do not comply with the orders with respect to visa processing and the immigration procedures.
However, the latest immigration rules and suspension of the visa processing are applicable to only those immigrants who are seeking to enter, live and work in the United States on a permanent basis. The rules will not apply to those seeking tourist visas or temporary work visas, and others who visit for business purposes. Exceptions are also available to those with dual nationality. With these latest stringent visa processing tools, the Trump administration has initiated a massive crackdown on aspiring immigrants, making U.S. visa possession rules among the most cumbersome in the world.
It is no secret that the US President Donald Trump is averse to immigration and follows a conservative policy. He has repeatedly characterised the immigrants as “garbage”. According to the U.S. State Department, the Trump administration has revoked more than 1,00,000 visas in a year. In the previous month, the Department of Homeland Security asserted that the Trump administration has deported more than 6,05,000 people and 2.5 million others left on their own will from the United States.
