A group of 75 members of the US Congress have sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, expressing deep concern and strongly condemning the administration’s decision to suspend the issuance of all immigrant visas for 75 countries around the world.
In their letter, the congressmen describe this decision as “unilateral, discriminatory, and unacceptable,” emphasizing that it affects nearly 40% of countries globally and hundreds of thousands of individuals every year.
They also criticize the fact that such a drastic change in immigration policy was announced through social media, without transparency and without providing clear clarification on the nature and duration of this suspension.
“We write to you to strongly condemn your unilateral decision to suspend the issuance of all immigrant visas for 75 countries. This is an outrageous and discriminatory decision by your administration, affecting nearly 40% of all countries in the world. It is also shocking that such a drastic policy change, which affects hundreds of thousands of people each year, was announced not only through a tweet, but also without providing any meaningful information about the suspension itself,” the document states.
According to the State Department, the list of affected countries includes: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
The congressmen emphasize that this suspension applies to all categories of immigration visas, including visas for immediate family members of American citizens, family visas, employment visas, religious workers, the diversity program (Green Card Lottery), as well as for permanent residents returning to the US.
“According to the State Department, these 75 countries accounted for about 243,671 immigrant visas in fiscal year 2023, 280,015 in fiscal year 2024, and 189,583 from October to May of fiscal year 2025. Experts say the indefinite suspension will deny almost half of all legal immigrants over the next year. An analysis of visas issued over the past three years shows that people from the affected countries account for 40–45% of all immigrant visas,” the letter reads.
According to the congressmen, the policy will lead to the separation of families, prevent their reunification, harm small businesses, weaken religious organizations, and undermine the American dream for thousands of people.
“This discriminatory policy will have a devastating impact on our constituents. It will separate families and prevent them from reuniting, block individuals from pursuing the American dream, slow the growth of small businesses, and undermine the ability of religious organizations to build and sustain their communities. In short, this policy is backward, outdated, and does far more harm than good,” their letter states.
Lawmakers are asking the administration, no later than February 20, 2026, to provide detailed explanations on the legal basis for this decision, the data justifying it, the cost-benefit analysis, and the reason why a blanket ban has been imposed, instead of individual assessments for applicants.
FULL LETTER
Dear Secretary Rubio and Secretary Noem:
We write to strongly condemn your unilateral action to suspend all immigration visas for 75 countries. This is an unacceptable and discriminatory policy decision by your administration, affecting approximately 40% of the world’s countries. It is also surprising that such a drastic policy change, which affects hundreds of thousands of people each year, is announced not only through a tweet, but also without providing any meaningful information about the “suspension.”
According to the State Department’s list, the affected countries include: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
Because the policy applies to all immigrant visas, it affects immediate family members of U.S. citizens, as well as all family-sponsored, employer-sponsored, religious worker, diversity program, and returning resident visas.
According to the State Department, those 75 countries accounted for about 243,671 immigrant visas in fiscal year 2023, 280,015 in fiscal year 2024, and 189,583 from October to May of fiscal year 2025. Experts say the indefinite suspension would stop nearly half of all legal immigrants over the next year. An analysis of visas issued over the past three years shows that people from the affected countries account for 40 to 45 percent of all immigrant visas.
Our congressional districts represent individuals from all of the countries listed in the State Department’s announcement. This discriminatory policy will have a devastating impact on our constituents. It will tear families apart and prevent them from coming together, block individuals from pursuing the American Dream, stunt the growth of small businesses, and undermine the ability of religious organizations to build and sustain their communities. In short, this policy is backward, outdated, and does more harm than good.
As such, we request that you provide us with the following information no later than February 20, 2026:
1. The State Department has stated that “The Trump Administration is ending the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people.” Does the administration have the data to support this claim to justify this policy?
2. What is the legal basis for the Department’s action?
3. According to the State Department, this suspension is necessary to ensure that immigrants from these countries do not become a public charge. Public charge has long been a reason for inadmissibility under the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the agencies – the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security – know how to conduct individual assessments of applicants to determine whether they could become a public charge. Why does the administration now need a blanket suspension for all applicants?
4. Given that you believe this policy will save Americans money, even though our country benefits from net migration, have your departments conducted a cost-benefit analysis of this policy? If so, we ask that you send the analysis to Congress.
5. The State Department announcement states that “a comprehensive review of all policies, regulations, and guidelines is being conducted to ensure that immigrants from these high-risk countries do not use U.S. welfare or become a public burden.” When does the Department think this “review” will be completed and whether other exceptions to this policy will be added?
We are all deeply concerned by this political decision and strongly encourage you to withdraw this policy
