Key background
A State Department spokesperson told news outlets it launched “a global training initiative” this month to “ensure all consular officers are fully equipped to evaluate every visa applicant comprehensively and consistently.” The Trump administration wants to cut down on the number of immigrants who move to the U.S. and end up relying on assistance programs like Medicaid, SNAP and Section 8 housing subsidies. The administration earlier this year tried to fully ban applications from residents of 75 countries, including some of the world’s poorest countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan and Haiti, but a judge last week ruled the move exceeded the authority of the secretary of state. Cracking down on immigration has been a hallmark of the Trump presidency: he’s overseen a rounding up of undocumented immigrants in major cities, imposed new limits on visas and green cards and ended nearly all refugee resettlement. The administration this week also announced plans to revoke up to 200,000 visas from asylum seekers who initially entered the country for tourism or business, which would end up being the largest mass pulling of visas in the history of the United States.
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SURPRISING FACT
Immigrants typically use public safety-net programs at lower individual rates than native-born Americans. Roughly 13.7% of all immigrants participate in Medicaid, compared to 16% of native-born Americans; 2.9% of immigrants receive SSI cash assistance, compared to 3.1% of native-born Americans; and less than 1% of immigrants receive traditional cash welfare, according to the .
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WHAT WE DON’T KNOW
When the visa appointments will resume. The state department did not say when embassies will be allowed to continue processing international visas.
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further reading
ForbesTrump Administration Preparing For Largest Visa Revocation In U.S. History, Report SaysBy Antonio Pequeño IV
ForbesDHS Immigration Rule Proposes A $103,265 Tax On New H-1B Visa HoldersBy Stuart Anderson