A U.S. flag outside The Lafayette Escadrille Memorial of Marnes-la-Coquette, east of Paris, on Nov. 11, 2013. (Credit: Thomas Samson/AFP)
The Trump administration is suspending all visa processing for citizens from 75 countries, including Lebanon, a State Department spokesperson said on Wednesday.
The spokesperson did not elaborate on the plan, first reported by Fox News, which cited a State Department memo. The pause will begin on Jan. 21, Fox News said.
The countries were reportedly chosen based on the assessment that their nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.
“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,” the department said in a statement. “Immigrant visa processing 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.”
The memo directs U.S. embassies to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses its procedures. No time frame was provided.
The reported pause comes amid the sweeping immigration crackdown pursued by Republican U.S. President Donald Trump since taking office last January.
In November, Trump had vowed to "permanently pause" migration from all "Third World Countries" following a shooting near the White House by an Afghan national that killed a National Guard member.
This suspension does not affect non-immigrant visa applicants, nor temporary tourist or business visas, according to the Associated Press.
The statement did not specify which countries would be affected by this suspension, but according to Fox News, the measure concerns applicants from the following countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, 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, 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.
Trump has made no secret of his desire to reduce immigration from those not of European origin. He called Somalis "garbage" who should "go back to where they came from," but said he was open to the idea of Scandinavians settling in the United States.
The State Department said Monday it has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump's return, a record for a single year.
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security said the Trump administration had deported over 605,000 people and that 2.5 million others had left on their own accord.
