Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday said it was abruptly suspending the processing of immigrant visas from a whopping 75 countries.

"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 spokesman Tommy Pigott said.

"Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits," he claimed.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that the countries affected would include Somalia – whose people Trump has attacked in racist terms amid in a pandemic-era aid scandal in Minnesota – as well as Russia and Iran.

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Brazil, Egypt, Thailand.

Other countries to face the pause include Brazil, Nigeria, Egypt, Thailand, Iraq, and Yemen.

The State Department did not immediately release a full list, but one was provided by Fox News.

Trump has made no secret of his desire to reduce immigration by people who are not white and Western. He has described Somalis as "garbage" who should "go back to where they came from" and instead said he was open to Scandinavians moving to the US.

The State Department said Monday that it has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump's return, a one-year record.

The Department of Homeland Security last month said that the Trump administration has deported more than 605,000 people, and that 2.5 million others left on their own.

The latest move did not initially affect tourist, business, or other visas, including for soccer fans set to visit for this year's FIFA World Cup, although the Trump administration has vowed to vet all applicants' social media histories.