US suspends immigrant visa processing for 75 countries: White House

The United States said Wednesday it was suspending the processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries, US President Donald Trump's latest move against foreigners seeking to come to America.

"The State Department is pausing immigrant visa processing for 75 countries," a State Department spokesperson said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that the countries affected would include Somalia — whose people Trump has attacked in heated terms after immigrants were involved in a funding scandal in Minnesota -- as well as Russia and Iran.

Leavitt posted to a Fox News article that said other countries affected would include a number of countries with friendly relations with the United States, including Brazil, Egypt and Thailand.

Trump has made no secret of his desire to reduce immigration by people who are not of European descent. He has described Somalis as "garbage" who should "go back to where they came from" and instead said he was open to Scandinavians moving to the United States.

The State Department said Monday that it has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump's return, a one-year record. 

The Department of Homeland Security last month said that the Trump administration has deported more than 605,000 people, and that 2.5 million others left on their own.

The latest move does not affect tourist or business visas, although the Trump administration has vowed to vet all applicants' social media histories.