The United States once regularly resettled migrants from the most corrupt nations in the world across American communities, a new analysis details. Last year, though, President Donald Trump halted much of this immigration via executive orders.
The analysis, published by the Center for Immigration Studies, looked at countries whose nationals Trump’s executive orders have either entirely or partially banned from immigrating to the United States.
In particular, the analysis highlights corruption levels on a nation-by-nation basis, showing that in Fiscal Year 2024, and likely prior years, the U.S. issued visas to tens of thousands of foreign nationals from the most corrupt countries in the world.
South Sudan, for example, is ranked as the most corrupt country in the world, according to a study by Transparency International, while Somalia is ranked as the second most corrupt country in the world.
Yet in Fiscal Year 2024 nearly 1,800 nationals from South Sudan and Somalia were issued visas to come to the United States.
Venezuela, which has been partially banned from visa issuance, ranks as the third most corrupt country in the world. Despite this, the Biden administration, in Fiscal Year 2024, admitted almost 2,600 Venezuelans to the United States after issuing them visas.
The Center for Immigration Studies’ Ronald Mortensen writes that vetting for nationals in such corrupt countries is nearly impossible for U.S. officials.
Hellbound and Down 