US Suspends Immigrant Visas for 75 Countries; White House Targets Critical Minerals and Semiconductors

Immigration and Visa Policy

Suspension of immigrant visa processing for 75 countries

• The Trump administration announced it will suspend processing of immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries starting January 21, citing concerns that nationals from those countries are at high risk of becoming a “public charge” and relying on U.S. government benefits. A State Department cable described a full review of visa policies and said data indicated higher rates of public-benefit use among these nationals.
• The suspension affects applicants from a wide range of regions, including major countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay in Latin America; Pakistan and Bangladesh in South Asia; and numerous nations in Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans and the Caribbean. Critics quoted in coverage argue the move targets legal immigration and could separate families or disrupt long-planned migration.

Religious worker visa rule change

• Separately, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an interim final rule modifying the R‑1 nonimmigrant religious worker program. The rule removes the long‑standing requirement that R‑1 applicants must have resided abroad continuously for at least one year before applying.
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will accept written public comments on the interim final rule for 60 days following its publication in the Federal Register.

DHS enforcement messaging in Minnesota

• DHS released two statements criticizing Minnesota officials over cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. One release accused Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of “sanctuary” policies and said nearly 470 “criminal noncitizens” had been released from state or local custody without notification to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since President Trump took office.
• A separate DHS statement highlighted recent ICE arrests in Minneapolis, describing those arrested as sexual offenders, violent assailants, domestic abusers and drug traffickers. DHS said it had publicly urged Minnesota officials to honor ICE detainers for over 1,360 people in state custody.
• In both releases, DHS cited specific examples, including the case of German Llangari Inga, for whom ICE had lodged detainers that Hennepin County did not honor before ICE later took him into federal custody.

Narrative on mass deportations and domestic conditions

• A White House article argued that stepped‑up deportations and immigration enforcement are improving conditions for U.S. citizens. The piece cited administration‑selected data claiming that in 2025 home list prices declined year‑over‑year in 14 of the 20 metro areas with the largest unauthorized migrant populations and that real wages for American workers were on track to rise 4.2% during Trump’s first full year back in office.
• The article also claimed that between January and December 2025, employment and labor‑force gains were concentrated among native‑born workers while foreign‑born employment and labor‑force participation declined, and asserted that the United States saw the largest single‑year drop in murders on record in 2025 alongside declines in several categories of violent crime, traffic fatalities and overdose deaths.

Trade, Industrial Policy, and National Security

Critical minerals: new Section 232 proclamation and negotiations

• President Trump issued a proclamation under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act directing the Secretary of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to negotiate agreements addressing imports of processed critical minerals and their derivative products (PCMDPs).
• The action follows an October 24, 2025 Commerce Department report concluding that imports of processed critical minerals and derivative products threaten to impair U.S. national security. The proclamation notes that as of 2024 the United States was 100% net‑import reliant for 12 critical minerals and at least 50% reliant for 29 more.
• Commerce and USTR are ordered to pursue negotiations with trading partners and provide the president with an update within 180 days. If no agreement is reached, or if any agreement is not carried out or is deemed ineffective, the proclamation states the president may impose additional measures on PCMDP imports, including minimum import prices or other restrictions.
• The proclamation directs the Commerce Secretary, USTR and the Secretary of Homeland Security to take steps consistent with law to implement the policy, including issuing regulations or guidance and temporarily amending or suspending existing regulations as needed.
• A related White House fact sheet says the administration will, in coordination with allies, seek adoption of price floors for trade in PCMDPs as one tool to address perceived dumping and over‑reliance on non‑allied suppliers.

Semiconductors and advanced computing: tariffs and negotiations

• In a separate presidential proclamation, the White House announced Section 232 actions on semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and related products. The Commerce Secretary completed an investigation concluding that current levels of semiconductor imports threaten to impair U.S. national security.
• The president directed Commerce and USTR to negotiate, or continue negotiations, with key partners to mitigate national‑security risks from semiconductor imports. The proclamation requires an update on the state of these negotiations within 90 days.
• The Commerce Secretary is instructed to provide the president, by July 1, 2026, with an assessment of the market for semiconductors used in U.S. data centers, including whether any existing or proposed tariffs should be modified.
• A fact sheet accompanying the proclamation states that the president may impose broader tariffs on semiconductors and consider a tariff‑offset program if negotiations do not deliver results deemed sufficient to address national‑security concerns.

Foreign Policy and Security

Tension with Iran and posture changes at Al Udeid Air Base

• Diplomats told Reuters that some personnel were advised to leave the U.S. military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar by Wednesday evening, describing the move as a “posture change” rather than an ordered evacuation. Al Udeid hosts about 10,000 U.S. troops and is a key regional hub.
• The report came after Iranian officials warned that Iran would target U.S. bases in the region if Washington launched attacks, following President Trump’s threats to intervene in response to Iranian actions against protesters. U.S. and Qatari officials did not immediately comment on the reported drawdown.

Greenland and U.S.–Denmark relations

• After talks at the White House, Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said there remained a “fundamental disagreement” with the United States over President Trump’s stated desire to “conquer” or acquire Greenland.
• Rasmussen described the meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as frank but constructive, and said Denmark and Greenland are open to more U.S. military cooperation on the island but reject any transfer of sovereignty.
• The parties agreed to establish a high‑level working group on Greenland’s future status and security posture. European allies including Sweden, Germany and the U.K. signaled support for Denmark, with Germany announcing a reconnaissance team deployment to Greenland and other countries expressing willingness to bolster defense cooperation there.

Global health engagement with Malawi

• The State Department announced a bilateral global health memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Malawi as part of the “America First Global Health Strategy.” Under the MOU, the United States intends to provide up to $792 million over five years to support disease‑specific programs and health surveillance systems in Malawi.
• In return, Malawi has committed to increase its annual health spending by an additional $143.8 million over the life of the agreement. U.S. officials said they plan to sign similar multi‑year global health MOUs with dozens of other countries in the coming weeks.

U.S.–South Korea economic and financial coordination

• The Treasury Department released a readout of a January 12 meeting between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and South Korean Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun Cheol.
• They discussed an upcoming critical minerals ministerial and broader market developments. Bessent said the recent depreciation of the South Korean won did not reflect the country’s economic fundamentals and that excessive foreign‑exchange volatility is undesirable.
• The two officials also reviewed implementation of the Korea Strategic Trade and Investment Deal, with Bessent expressing confidence that implementation would proceed smoothly.

U.S.–Japan defense consultations

• The Department of War announced that Secretary Pete Hegseth will host Japanese Defense Minister Shinjirō Koizumi for meetings in Washington. The advisory did not detail the agenda but indicated the visit will focus on bilateral defense cooperation and regional security.

Humanitarian assistance to Cuba after Hurricane Melissa

• The State Department announced that the United States is providing $3 million in disaster relief for people in eastern Cuba affected by Hurricane Melissa.
• Charter flights departing January 14 and January 16 are carrying humanitarian cargo, each delivering more than 525 food kits and 650 hygiene and water‑treatment kits intended to reach over 1,000 families per flight. Overall, the assistance is expected to reach about 6,000 families (approximately 24,000 people) in Santiago de Cuba, Holguín, Granma and Guantánamo.
• A follow‑on State Department release said the first humanitarian shipment had been dispatched and confirmed that a second U.S.‑supported flight would depart January 16, with additional relief to arrive by commercial vessel in the coming weeks.
• The U.S. government emphasized that it is working with the Catholic Church in Cuba to deliver aid “directly” and to avoid interference from Cuban state authorities.

Regional supply chains and technology partnerships

• The State Department reported that the United States hosted an APEC Alliance for Supply Chain Connectivity (A2C2) regional roundtable in Mexico City. Officials and private‑sector experts from APEC economies discussed best practices for digitalizing supply chains and how to implement those practices regionally and globally.
• In a separate statement, the United States welcomed the United Arab Emirates’ decision to sign the Pax Silica Declaration, a multilateral framework focused on cooperation across the semiconductor and broader technology supply chain. The announcement said India is expected to join as a signatory next month.
• U.S. officials said Washington and Abu Dhabi will explore joint “flagship projects” across the technology stack, including 6G networks, computing and data centers, advanced manufacturing, logistics, mineral refining and processing, and energy.

Domestic Policy, Economy, and Markets

Housing market and affordability messaging from the White House

• A White House article highlighted recent housing and mortgage data, asserting that existing home sales in December reached their strongest pace in three years and that key housing affordability indicators, including the First American Real House Price Index and the National Association of Realtors Housing Affordability Index, have recently improved.
• The article credited a decline in average 30‑year fixed mortgage rates to multi‑year lows with lowering monthly payments. It also said President Trump had directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage‑backed securities and that the administration had acted to bar large institutional investors from acquiring single‑family homes, framing these steps as measures to ease affordability pressures.

Wall Street trading

• U.S. equity markets closed lower on January 14. The Nasdaq Composite led the declines as technology stocks fell, while investors rotated into more defensive sectors such as consumer staples and energy.
• Bank shares were among the weakest performers. The S&P 500 bank index dropped, with Wells Fargo falling after missing fourth‑quarter profit expectations. Citigroup and Bank of America shares also declined despite reporting profit beats, as the sector faced pressure following strong gains in 2025 and concerns over President Trump’s proposal to cap credit‑card interest rates.
• Analysts cited profit‑taking in financials and a shift away from expensive megacap technology names as drivers of the session’s performance.

Verizon nationwide outage and regulatory scrutiny

• Verizon Communications experienced a roughly 10‑hour mobile service outage on Wednesday that disrupted calls, texting and data for hundreds of thousands of customers nationwide. Several cities, including New York and Washington, D.C., warned residents that some 911 calls from Verizon devices might fail and advised using other carriers, landlines or visiting police or fire stations during emergencies.
• Verizon said it restored service later in the day and announced it would issue account credits to affected customers. The company said there was no indication of a cyberattack but did not disclose the cause or full scope of the disruption.
• Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr and Commissioner Anna Gomez both said the agency would review the outage, and Gomez said she would ask for a formal investigation.

Davos and international economic engagement

• The Associated Press reported that President Trump plans to lead what officials described as the largest‑ever U.S. delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the following week. The delegation will include senior Cabinet officials and advisers and will focus on promoting administration priorities on trade, energy and security in international forums.

Disaster Recovery and Domestic Programs

Federal support for North Carolina after Tropical Storm Helene

• DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced more than $116 million in additional federal funding to aid North Carolina’s recovery from Tropical Storm Helene and support long‑term mitigation.
• FEMA obligated about $34.7 million to the North Carolina Department of Transportation for road and bridge repairs at more than 300 sites across multiple counties, and $17.6 million to Rutherford County for removal of nearly 700,000 cubic yards of debris and about 75,000 trees and limbs, as well as operation of four debris‑reduction sites.
• The announcement also highlighted hazard‑mitigation projects moving through final congressional notification, including property acquisitions in Buncombe County (about $14.2 million) and Henderson County (about $9.2 million), and elevation of 14 homes in Beaufort County (about $2.5 million).
• FEMA said it has provided more than $549 million in grants to survivors of Tropical Storm Helene to help families recover.

Labor, Regulation, and Legal Actions

Long Island Rail Road labor dispute: second emergency board

• President Trump issued an order establishing a second Presidential Emergency Board under the Railway Labor Act to investigate and make recommendations on unresolved disputes between the Long Island Rail Road Company and certain labor organizations.
• The order requires the parties to submit their final settlement offers to the board within 30 days of its creation. The board must then, within 30 days of receiving those offers, issue a report to the president selecting the offer it judges “most reasonable.”
• From the time the request to establish the board was made until 60 days after the board submits its report, the parties are barred from altering the conditions that gave rise to the disputes, except by mutual agreement, effectively preventing strikes or lockouts during that period.

Retirement plan enforcement case in Maryland

• The Department of Labor announced that a federal court ordered Infrastructure & Development Engineering Inc. and its owner, Hahn, to restore $45,699.63 in retirement assets to the company’s 401(k) plan.
• The order requires Hahn to repay the funds to affected employees’ accounts, take steps to terminate the plan and be removed as a fiduciary once the assets are restored. The court also assessed a $9,139.93 civil penalty for fiduciary breaches.
• The case stems from an Employee Benefits Security Administration investigation alleging that employee contributions were not properly remitted to the plan, in violation of ERISA requirements.

Campaign‑finance lawsuit against the FEC

• The Federal Election Commission reported that Peter Bernegger filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on December 31, 2025, alleging that the FEC failed to act on his administrative complaint.
• Bernegger’s underlying August 26, 2025 administrative complaint alleged campaign‑finance violations by Senator Amy Klobuchar and affiliated committees.
• The lawsuit asks the court to declare the FEC’s inaction “contrary to law” and to order the agency to conform with the court’s declaration within 30 days.

Summary of Key Federal Actions Announced

• New Section 232 trade measures and negotiations targeting imports of processed critical minerals, semiconductors and related products.
• Suspension of immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries deemed at higher risk of needing public assistance, alongside a DHS rule change intended to shorten visa wait times for religious workers.
• Expanded U.S. humanitarian and disaster assistance for Cuba and for post‑storm recovery in North Carolina.
• Intensified public messaging and enforcement actions on immigration, including DHS criticism of Minnesota officials and a White House narrative linking deportations to economic and crime trends.
• Ongoing foreign‑policy frictions over Iran and Greenland, and new initiatives in global health and technology supply‑chain cooperation.
• Domestic regulatory and legal steps affecting rail labor disputes, retirement plan enforcement, and campaign‑finance oversight.