Donald Trump has frozen visa processing for 75 countries, including Russia and Iran as the president threatens military strikes against the ayatollah.
Consular offices were directed to deny visas in an internal memo sent by the State Department as the government re-examines screening and vetting procedures.
Some of the countries targeted include Afghanistan, Brazil, Iraq and Somalia. The latter country is in the administration’s sights amid reports of widespread fraud by the Somali community in Minnesota.
The sweeping action to reinforce America’s border comes as Trump is considering strikes on Iran amid nationwide protests against the Islamic regime that have left at least 2,500 people dead.
The State Department is expected to implement the indefinite freeze on January 21.
The memo also directs consular officer to deny visas applicants who will need to reply on public benefits upon entry to the US.
Officers are also instructed to weigh a variety of factors for applicants, including health, age, and English proficiency.
‘The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people,’ said spokesman Tommy Piggott.
The Iranian regime have brutally cracked down on the Iranian regime
The State Department freeze of Russian visas comes as Putin engages in high-stakes talks with the Trump administration over ending the war in Ukraine
Trump has threaten military action against Iran for killing protesters
‘Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.’
The department will also provide exceptions for some visa applications under the new pause but it will be ‘very limited.’
The President last night warned that if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei goes forward with hangings on Wednesday, he will take ‘strong action.’ Trump is said to have been briefed in recent days about his options, including strikes on nonmilitary sites in Tehran.
On June 13 last year, hours after Israel launched its attack on Iranian nuclear and missile sites, the Wing of Zion took off from Ben Gurion Airport.
Desperate families of relatives who have been persecuted by the Iranian regime amid the uprising have called on Trump to intervene.
Already, a bloody security force crackdown on the protests has killed at least 2,571, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported.
Trump told CBS News: ‘If they [Iran] hang them, you’re going to see something’.
But Iran ignored the US President’s threats and vowed to fast-track executions after detaining 18,000 protesters as the regime continues its brutal crackdown on anti-government riots.
Protesters set fire to makeshift barricades near a religious centre on January 10
The head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, signaled Wednesday that there would be fast trials and executions ahead for those detained, saying: ‘If a person burned someone, beheaded someone and set them on fire then we must do our work quickly.’
The US ordered the evacuation of air bases in the region, including an unspecified number from a site in Qatar by Wednesday evening.
Al Udeid, the largest American base in the Middle East, houses 10,000 troops and was targeted by Iran in June in retaliation for US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
