The U.S. will stop all visa processing for all Colombians and citizens from 74 other countries starting next Wednesday, January 21. The U.S. State Department announced the decision as a retaliatory measure against “migrants taking welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates.”
US will stop all visa processing for Colombians and 74 other countries
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” reads a statement published on X by the State Department.
Reportedly, the list of 75 countries includes several from Latin America, including Brazil, Cuba, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Uruguay, in addition to Colombia. Notably, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Nicaragua and Uruguay are all ruled by left-wing or socialist governments, critical of the Trump administration and U.S. imperialism.
“Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be suspended while the Department of State reevaluates immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would make use of social assistance and public benefits,” explained Tommy Pigott, a spokesperson for the State Department, adding that “The Department of State will use its long-standing authority to declare ineligible prospective immigrants who could become a public charge to the United States and abuse the generosity of the American people”.
The United States remains the most sought-after destination for Colombians and other Latino migrants. According to the Pew Reasearch Center, half of U.S. immigrant population was born in Latin America, namely 26.7 million individuals, including an estimated eight to 11 millions residing irregularly in the country. American Community Survey–based estimates indicate that about 855,000 Colombian immigrants lived in the U.S. as of 2021, making it the largest diaspora from South America.
Remittances to Colombia illustrate the scale of this movement: monthly transfers grew from roughly $400 million in April 2020 to nearly $1 billion in May 2024, according to data from the Inter-American Dialogue.
According to Colombian outlet La Silla Vacia, by 2023, at least 17,000 Colombians had obtained migrant visas, according to official data. On the other hand, during the same period, the Department of Homeland Security claimed that around 200,000 Colombians had entered the United States with legal status, while an estimated 190,000 entered irregularly.
The full list of affected countries includes Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, the 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, the 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.