Democrats assail Trump’s move to freeze immigrant visas

Washington: Senior Democrats sharply criticised the Trump administration after it moved to halt immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, calling the decision discriminatory, harmful to families, and damaging to US economic and moral standing.

Sen. Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts said the State Department’s decision to stop processing immigrant visas amounted to a sweeping ban that would separate families and hurt states that depend on immigrants for education and economic growth.

“The State Department’s cruel decision to ban immigrant visa applicants from 75 countries is an economic, moral, and security failure,” Markey said in a statement.

He said the move would affect families in Massachusetts and across the country, harm universities and businesses that rely on international students and workers, and undermine the United States’ image as a destination for immigrants.

Markey urged the State Department to reverse the decision and resume visa processing.

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois delivered a broader condemnation on the Senate floor, accusing the administration of effectively shutting down legal immigration under the pretext of targeting security threats.

“What they have done, instead, is to effectively halt legal immigration from a long list of countries, all of which have majority non-white populations,” Durbin said. “This was their real intention all along.”

Durbin said the administration has diverted resources away from core law enforcement and national security efforts to pursue immigrants who are legally in the United States. He cited enforcement actions in cities including Chicago and Minneapolis and said the crackdown has targeted people who followed immigration rules.

In his remarks, Durbin linked the visa freeze to a broader set of immigration actions, including travel bans, the halting of refugee and asylum processing, the ending of the Diversity Visa program and the termination of Temporary Protected Status for countries he said remain unsafe, including Afghanistan and Somalia.

“Many of these visa applicants fought against the Taliban alongside American forces,” Durbin said, referring to Afghan nationals. He accused President Trump of abandoning those allies and expanding immigration bans beyond initial country lists to include people already living in the United States or born in affected countries.

Durbin also cited reports from his office that the policy has disrupted adoptions and delayed green card interviews and citizenship ceremonies. “Immigrants have seen their long-scheduled green card interviews cancelled,” he said, adding that naturalisation candidates approved for citizenship were prevented from taking their oath.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, also denounced the visa suspension, saying it would disproportionately affect family-based immigration.

“Today’s announcement will largely impact and target family immigration, which includes people who are married to US citizens,” Jayapal said in a statement. She said affected families had followed the law and waited years in backlogs, only to see the process halted. “This stunning new policy will keep families separated indefinitely. It must be immediately reversed.”

The administration has said the pause is intended to allow a reassessment of screening procedures to prevent immigrants from becoming a public charge or posing security risks. Critics, however, argue the decision amounts to a broad shutdown of legal immigration from much of the developing world.

Durbin closed his Senate remarks by recalling his own family’s immigration history, saying the United States should not abandon people who have followed the law. “We are a nation of immigrants,” he said. “We should never forget it.”

IANS