The United States paralyzes visa appointments: it seeks to train consulates to discard applicants who are “a public charge”

The State Department did not specify the details or schedule of the training. He simply stated that his objective was to help consular officials to screen out applicants considered susceptible from relying on US public benefits and ensuring that visa applications are evaluated “comprehensively and consistently.”

The stoppage of the service was announced by the British newspaper “Financial Times”, which reported that some immigration visa applicants who already had interviews scheduled at US embassies and consulates had received emails informing them that their appointments would be rescheduled and that a new date would be notified later.

As it was learned, the new training for consular officials aims especially to reinforce the application of the concept of “public charge” (public charge), which allows denying entry to people who officials consider could end up depending on financial aid from the US government.

The State Department maintains that consular agents They must evaluate factors such as age, health, family and financial situationthe education and professional abilities of the applicant before determining whether such a risk exists.

The White House has been placing the principle of economic self-sufficiency at the center of its immigration policy and maintains that foreigners entering the country should not subsequently represent a burden on American taxpayers.

The announcement of the suspension of appointments follows another measure released on Monday by the Trump administration, which noted that would revoke up to 200,000 visas for foreigners, in what he called the largest mass repeal in American history.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated that they were working with the Department of Homeland Security to cancel the visas of foreigners who came to the United States as short-term visitors, particularly with tourist or business visas, and later They requested asylum. The revocations are being carried out gradually, he added.

In his second term, President Trump has been promoting an aggressive deportation campaign, which includes heavy raids in all states by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The offensive also includes the revocation of visas and residence and asylum permitsas well as reviewing visitors’ social networks.

They have rejected applications for various reasons, including political opinions and participation in protests against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The president maintains that these measures are aimed at improving internal security. However, the offensive has suffered some judicial setbacks. Last Friday, a US judge overturned a Trump Administration policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, considering that it exceeded the powers that the law attributes to the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

Trump’s immigration offensive has been widely condemned by human rights organizations, which consider it discriminatory and contrary to freedom of expression and guarantees of due process.

Trump campaigned in 2024 on a promise to curb illegal immigration, but his administration has also made legal immigration more difficult. For example, it has imposed high new fees on applicants for certain work visas, such as the H-1B visa.