Trump takes swift action to curb immigration: reducing the number of visa embassies in Africa
Ahmed Salem
Intends US It reduced the number of its embassies that handle visas in Africa, in line with US President Donald Trump's move to curb immigration.
According to sources cited by the Associated Press, the Trump administration wants to end “temporary protection” for thousands of Syrians and has requested urgent intervention from the Supreme Court on this matter.
The agency noted that the US president's administration had previously announced that foreigners wishing to obtain a green card would have to complete their procedures through US consulates abroad.
This move is expected to shorten the current network from about 50 sites to just 20 key locations in the coming weeks, according to three U.S. officials and an internal State Department memo.
According to the memo, each case will be examined individually by immigration officials to determine whether it warrants an “exceptional” status that would allow proceedings to continue from within the United States.
Return to the original law
In the same context, Zach Kahler, the agency's spokesman, confirmed that the US administration, by taking the measures in this regard, is returning to the original application of the law.
Kahler added that temporary residents in the United States will have to return to their country of origin to apply for permanent residency, except in specific exceptional circumstances that will be carefully assessed on a case-by-case basis.
He argued that processing applications through US consulates abroad makes the immigration system “more equitable and efficient,” explaining that this policy aims to “prevent the exploitation of legal loopholes” and reduce cases of illegal stays in the country after residency applications are rejected.
The agency spokesman stressed that non-immigrant categories, such as students, temporary workers and tourist visa holders, are supposed to leave the United States after the purpose of their visit is fulfilled.
He pointed out that their temporary presence for any of the aforementioned purposes should not turn into a first step towards obtaining a green card.
He also explained that there would be greater opportunities for the Immigration Agency to direct its limited resources to other cases, such as victims of violent crime and human trafficking, naturalization applications, and other priorities, by transferring the bulk of these transactions to the U.S. State Department and overseas consulates.
