Tightening the screws on immigrants, the US suspends visa applications worldwide

The United States has suspended appointments at embassies and consulates worldwide for immigration visas: this is a further crackdown on immigration implemented by Donald Trump during his second term, following violent actions by ICE officers, deportations and the attempt to block arrivals from countries deemed undesirable or considered a risk due to the presence of terrorists.

The US State Department announced yesterday that it had launched ‘a global training initiative across all US embassies and consulates worldwide’ and that visa service appointments would be rescheduled to allow this training to take place: the aim – it explained – is to achieve ‘thorough and consistent checks’ that identify ‘foreign applicants who might become dependent on US public assistance’.

“Ensuring greater prosperity for Americans means making sure that visa applicants do not pose a risk of becoming a public charge, as defined by US laws and regulations, and that they do not risk becoming dependent on US social security benefits reserved for eligible Americans in need,” said a spokesperson for the State Department in an email also sent to the US media, after the Financial Times had reported that appointments had been suspended.

Trump is pushing ahead with an aggressive policy of deportations and immigration restrictions, which includes the revocation of visas and green cards and the rejection of applications on a variety of grounds, such as political views and participation in demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people or against the military offensive in Gaza led by Israel, an ally of the United States.

The White House announced on social media in recent days a plan to revoke up to 200,000 visas held by foreign nationals living in the United States, in what it described as ‘the largest operation against irregular visas in US history’. The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security – to which ICE agents report – are working together to revoke the visas of foreign nationals who entered the US on short-term tourist or business visas and subsequently applied for asylum. ‘Obtaining a visa for the purpose of seeking asylum constitutes fraud, which is sufficient grounds for revoking the visa itself. We wish to make it clear that a visa is a privilege, not a right,” the State Department stated in a press release, emphasising that it had “already revoked over 175,000 visas from foreign nationals” during Trump’s second term.