Washington, Jan 15 (IANS) Indian American community leader Jasdip Singh Jassee has welcomed President Donald Trump’s decision to pause immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, saying the inclusion of Pakistan and Bangladesh reflects serious deficiencies in vetting systems and long-standing national security concerns.
Following the US government’s announcement, Jassee said the move was consistent with President Trump’s long-stated position on tightening immigration screening.
“This is an action that President Trump always wanted to take,” Jassee said. “He has been talking about it because the countries that are on this list do not vet their passport system. They do not properly vet people,” he told IANS in an interview.
Jassee said weak screening mechanisms had allowed “a lot of unvetted people” to enter the United States, creating national security concerns.
“There were a lot of unvetted people coming to America and creating national security issues here in the US,” he said. “So President Trump wanted the countries that did not have a strong vetting process to implement strong screening and vetting before people can come to America.”
He said the visa pause should be seen as a corrective step rather than a punitive one. “I think this was a step towards that,” Jassee said.
Explaining why Pakistan and Bangladesh were included in the list, Jassee pointed to instability and security challenges in both countries. “We all know that Bangladesh, with what happened recently, is in turmoil right now,” he said. “Pakistan is also somewhat in that same category.”
Jassee cited Pakistan’s record with extremist elements, saying, “We know what Pakistan went through with the infiltration of terrorists in Pakistan with the Taliban.”
He said both countries must strengthen scrutiny of their own citizens before seeking expanded access to the United States. “Both of these countries need to improve their vetting system and the scrutiny of their own people,” Jassee said.
Jassee also alleged corruption in passport issuance processes in both countries. “Both of these countries are known for corruption,” he said. “You can get passports without going through any scrutiny.”
He said the administration’s decision could ultimately benefit not only the United States but also the affected countries by compelling reforms.
“To control that, President Trump has put this list together,” Jassee said. “And I think in the long term, it will be beneficial for us, and for these countries as well, because they will have to improve their passport issuance and other vetting processes.”
The Trump administration on Wednesday ordered an indefinite pause on immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries, citing concerns that applicants could become a “public charge” and draw on American welfare and public benefits, according to a State Department directive and public statements from senior administration officials.
The decision, which takes effect January 21, directs US consular officers worldwide to halt processing of immigrant visas while the department reassesses its screening and vetting procedures under existing immigration law.
“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
“The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people,” he said.
Pigott said immigrant visa processing from the 75 countries would be paused while the department reassesses procedures “to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”
–IANS
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