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2. U.S. Halts Issuing Immigration Visas for 75 Countries, Including Lebanon

On Wednesday, U.S. State Department issued a memo directing consular officers to cease issuing immigration visas to citizens of 75 countries deemed likely to incur “public charges” in the United States, including all Middle Eastern and North African countries except Saudi Arabia, Oman, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain. 

The order will be in effect starting January 21 and will continue indefinitely as the Rubio-led State Department reassesses their immigration processing criteria and procedures. However, the pause will not apply to non-immigrant visa applicants including tourism and business.

This development comes as a fraud scandal was unveiled in Minnesota where Somali-Americans were accused of abusing tax-funded programs. The State Department is seeking to impose increasingly stringent visa screening measures in response to these unfoldings. 

The directive proposes increased consideration of factors such as finances, age, English proficiency, and health in processing immigration visas to prevent the entry of foreign nationals deemed likely to utilize welfare and public benefits.

Historically, presidential administrations and consular officers were granted discretion in how to apply the existing public charge provisions. The State Department order points towards a shift in visa and immigration processing, where policy is to be more strictly dictated from high-ranking officials, cabinet members, and the Trump administration.