Washington: Senior Democrats on Wednesday strongly criticised the Trump administration’s decision to halt immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, calling the move discriminatory, damaging to families, and harmful to the United States’ economic and moral standing.
Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts said the State Department’s action amounted to a sweeping ban that would separate families and adversely affect states that rely 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 warned that the decision would impact families in Massachusetts and across the country, hurt universities and businesses dependent on international students and workers, and undermine the United States’ reputation as a welcoming destination for immigrants. Markey urged the State Department to reverse the decision and immediately 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 guise of addressing security concerns.
“What they have done, instead, is effectively halt legal immigration from a long list of countries, all of which have majority non-white populations,” Durbin said, adding that this had been the administration’s intention from the outset.
Durbin further alleged that the administration had diverted resources away from core law enforcement and national security priorities to pursue immigrants who are legally present in the United States. He cited enforcement actions in cities such as Chicago and Minneapolis, saying the crackdown had targeted individuals who had complied with immigration laws.
Linking the visa freeze to a broader set of immigration measures, Durbin referred to travel bans, the suspension of refugee and asylum processing, the termination of the Diversity Visa programme, and the ending of Temporary Protected Status for countries he said remain unsafe, including Afghanistan and Somalia.
Referring to Afghan nationals, Durbin said many visa applicants had fought against the Taliban alongside American forces. He accused President Trump of abandoning those allies and expanding immigration restrictions 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 indicating that the policy had disrupted adoptions and delayed green card interviews and citizenship ceremonies. He said long-scheduled green card interviews had been cancelled and that individuals approved for naturalisation were prevented from taking their oath of citizenship.
Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the ranking 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, including people married to US citizens,” Jayapal said in a statement. She noted that affected families had followed the law and waited for years amid backlogs, only to see the process halted. “This stunning new policy will keep families separated indefinitely and must be immediately reversed,” she said.
The Trump administration has said the pause is intended to allow a reassessment of screening procedures to ensure immigrants do not become a public charge or pose security risks. Critics, however, argue that the decision effectively shuts down legal immigration from large parts of the developing world.
Durbin concluded his remarks by recalling his own family’s immigration history and stressing that the country should not abandon those who have followed the law. “We are a nation of immigrants,” he said. “We should never forget it.”