Rule prohibiting more than 300,000 legal immigrants from entering the United States begins today
The new ban includes several African countries, in addition to Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, and Nicaragua
WASHINGTON—Starting January 21, 2026, a new State Department rule will take effect that will prevent the entry of at least 324,000 legal immigrants, including children, from 75 countries. freeze will remain in effect until "The US can ensure that new immigrants do not extract wealth from the American people," says the order from President Donald Trump's administration. According to an analysis by the Cato Institute, this will affect 324,000 people who have legal processes in place to enter the United States, such as obtaining a Green Card. This ban adds to previous prohibitions that already prevented the processing of Lawful Permanent Resident visas for 40 countries, representing one in five legal immigrants. The new ban primarily includes African nations, but also Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Previously, Cuba and Venezuela were added.
“This new ban raises the number of banned nationalities to 93, 42% of those existing worldwide, and the total banned population to almost half of those who immigrated legally from abroad in 2024,” the Cato Institute report states.
The analysis cites a State Department memo obtained by Fox News, which lists no exceptions to the new policy.
The restrictions now affect countries in every region of the world, including Russia and several countries in Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
“African countries are the most represented on the list, with 39 nationalities affected, approximately 70% of African nationalities,” it adds.
It highlights that these African nationalities represent a large proportion of immigrant visa applicants, with almost 90% of applicants.
“In total, “324,000 legal immigrants would be barred by the policy, representing 48% of legal immigrants," the Cato Institute report specifies. At least 71,844 US citizens will not be able to reunite with their spouses and children under the new rule. The same will apply to 31,272 Green Card holders. 61,539 Americans will also be unable to reunite with their parents, while 55,414 will be prohibited from bringing other family members,such as siblings, into their homes.