President Donald Trump’s administration is temporarily suspending immigrant visa processing for Somalia and 74 other countries to prevent foreign nationals from entering the United States who would potentially abuse the country’s welfare system.
In a Wednesday press release, the U.S. State Department wrote, “President Trump has made clear that immigrants must be financially self-sufficient and not be a financial burden to Americans. The Department of State is undergoing a full review of all policies, regulations, and guidance to ensure that immigrants from these high-risk countries do not utilize welfare in the United States or become a public charge.”
The State Department confirmed that it will be temporarily suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Somalia, on January 21.
According to The Daily Caller, an internal Trump administration investigation determined that a “vast majority of Somali migrants take welfare once present in the United States.” The State Department told the outlet that the indefinite pause in immigrant visa processing is intended to “prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would become a public charge on the American people.”
READ MORE: Trump admin ends Temporary Protected Status for Somali migrants
“Under President Trump, we will not allow aliens to abuse America’s immigration system and exploit the generosity of the American people,” Tommy Pigott, a State Department spokesman, said. “For years, foreign nationals from Somalia have entered the United States and extracted wealth from the American taxpayer, including by taking welfare at obscene rates.”
Pigott added, “The Trump administration is exercising the State Department’s long-standing authority to end this abuse of our immigration system.”
The State Department’s announcement on Wednesday came just one day after Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem confirmed that the Trump administration would be ending Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals currently living in the United States. The Temporary Protected Status designation for Somalia will be terminated on March 17.
“Allowing Somali nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to our national interests,” Noem said. “We are putting Americans first.”
According to The Minnesota Compass, there are currently roughly 80,000 Somali residents in Minnesota, with the majority born outside the United States. The Trump administration has been investigating massive fraud throughout the state in recent weeks, as reports have indicated that billions of dollars in fraud schemes have been linked to Somali individuals in Minnesota.
