The State Department announced Wednesday it will halt the processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries, a long-overdue move driven by evidence that applicants from these nations disproportionately end up on U.S. welfare rolls. The suspension will stay in place until the federal government can guarantee that newcomers are coming to contribute—not to plug into an already overburdened social safety net at taxpayers’ expense.
The U.S. State Department of State will pause all visa processing for 75 countries starting January 21, 2026. pic.twitter.com/H9HTedCUWi
— thaNOs™? (@Thanos_Tweetss) January 14, 2026
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates,” the department wrote on X. “The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.”
“The pause impacts dozens of countries – including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea – whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival,” the department continued. “We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused.”
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The most notable countries affected by the freeze include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, and Yemen.
“The Trump Administration will always put America First,” the State Department’s post added.
The pause will take effect January 21 and remain in place indefinitely while federal officials reassess the immigrant visa system—a review long overdue.
The decision follows a string of massive fraud scandals in Minnesota, where networks made up largely of Somali immigrants siphoned billions from state and federal taxpayers through Medicaid and child-care fraud schemes. In response, the federal government has opened additional investigations, frozen portions of federal funding, and raised serious questions about whether current immigration policies are importing long-term dependency rather than self-sufficiency.
The data are hard to ignore. Somali immigrants are heavily overrepresented in means-tested welfare programs and trail far behind national averages in formal education. Even after ten years in the United States, roughly 78 percent continue to rely on welfare—an astonishing figure that dwarfs the rate among native-born households and underscores a system that rewards dependency instead of assimilation.
Frankly, it’s a scandal that previous administrations didn’t do this, regardless of political affiliation. Yes, I’m aware that includes Trump’s first term, but our boy was a tad busy dealing with deep state backstabbers and successive impeachments.
