GEOFF BENNETT: This week, the Trump# administration was sued for a sweeping## pause of immigrant visa processing for# people from 75 countries.

The freeze,## which started last month, was aimed at nations the# administration said -- quote -- "whose migrants## take welfare from the American# people at unacceptable rates."

This comes on top of full or partial travel and# visa restrictions on citizens from 39 countries,## which federal officials say are necessary to# prevent overstays and protect national security.

Liz Landers has more on the impact.

LIZ LANDERS: The travel bans and visa# suspensions have upended routine work,## marriage, and family visa processes, leaving# many U.S.

citizens across the country in limbo.

Over the last few weeks, we have spoken with# some of them, including one man who asked us## not to use his name because he worries it might# affect his Brazilian husband's visa application.

SAMANTHA CUFFY, Second-Generation# Immigrant: Hi, my name is Samantha Cuffy.

DAVID ZWISOHN, Former Client of Caretaker# From Sierra Leone: I'm David Zwisohn.

CHRIS JOONDEPH, U.S.

Spouse of Nigerian# Citizen: My name i.. ASHLEIGH RAMOS, U.S.

Spouse of Moroccan# Citizen: My name is Ashl.. I recently remarried three years ago# to my husband, who is from Morocco.## I am a mom of five and I'm a public# schoolteacher that teaches Spanish.

SAMANTHA CUFFY: My entire family actually are# originally from the island of Dominica and## migrated here in the late '80s, early '90s, and# I was born shortly after.

And I have enjoyed the## fruits of their labor and their working hard and# going through the citizenship process and doing## everything they can to be able to achieve# their own version of the American dream.

CHRIS JOONDEPH: My wife and I met on# my first trip out to Nigeria in 2021.## I'm a travel content creator, and I had been# trying to visit every country in the world,## but we had stayed in touch.# As our relationship developed,## we eventually decided to get married in May# 2024, and we immediately filed our petition.## And we're currently waiting on our visa for# her to come join me in the United States.

ASHLEIGH RAMOS: I met my husband through# a language exchange app.

He was learning## English.

I was trying to learn Moroccan# Arabic specifically.

He just became part## of my everyday life, my kids as well# through our video chats and lessons.

I have been to see him now four times.# I'm going again in about two weeks.

He's## the most emotionally supportive# partner you could ever ask for.## And we have been waiting a long time.# And we thought we were almost done.

DAVID ZWISOHN: I'm totally responsible# for caring for our 25-year-old special## needs daughter.

My daughter is completely# dependent, and she will be her entire life.## And we have a 27-year-old son who's# slightly on the autistic spectrum.

We had gotten the services of what they# call a direct support care provider,## and her name was Jennifer (ph).

And she# had worked with us from mid-June, I think,## mid-June 2025 up until last Friday.

And she# is from the country of Sierra Leone.

And## Sierra Leone is on the Trump# administration's banned list.

MAN: I'm a U.S.-born citizen.

My husband# is a Brazilian citizen.

We met at a bar.## And it was as cheesy as a pickup line and# talking.

When we decided to get married,## we wanted to make sure we did everything legal.# We wanted to make sure we did everything right.

ASHLEIGH RAMOS: I think the average# American really doesn't know what this## process is.

And this right here, this is# what I have given in support of our case.## This is to show the relationship, but# also to prove my financial standing,## his ability and potential to have gainful# employment when he comes.

It's very expensive.

CHRIS JOONDEPH: We had kind of expected it to# take about two years and possibly be getting## that visa in May of this coming year.

But now# that looks like it's sort of on indefinite delay.

Our visa won't get denied, but it's just# going to be put on hold.

It's not going to## be processed.

And so we're just kind of sitting# here without any idea kind of where that ends.

SAMANTHA CUFFY: When I saw Dominica on that# list, it was honestly a shock.

Folks are## really terrified, because they're, like, I# don't know when next I'm going to be able to## see my family.

I don't know if I'm going to be# able to move freely even within this country,## like, people who are citizens# feel like just because the fact## that they have an accent or that# they look a little bit different.

ASHLEIGH RAMOS: This really felt like the door# slamming shut and it was just immediate panic.

MAN: What do we do?

Where do we go?# There's no -- there's no instruction.## There's no information.

There's just a blanket# thing saying there's going to be a pause.

DAVID ZWISOHN: Finding a replacement for Jennifer# is much harder than most people would realize.## The load on me is tremendous.

It's a# struggle to be able to get enough sleep,## a struggle to continue eating well,# and that's critical.

It's not just my## daughter and my son.

I have to take care# of myself in order to take care of them.

CHRIS JOONDEPH: You feel like it's this punitive## policy that doesn't really# go about doing what it says.

If you need to vet people more, then# vet people more.

But to just say, no,## we won't even take a look is a real gut# punch.

And it feels like you're let down.

ASHLEIGH RAMOS: I think,# when people see the pause,## they assume this is protecting us in some# way from foreign invaders or stopping## illegal immigration.

And that's not the case.# This is preventing families from being together.

MAN: My plan was to bring my family to the United# States and to build.

Now the only option seems to## be leave.

That is the worst feeling.

And you# should never feel punished for loving someone.

LIZ LANDERS: For more on these# restrictions, we are joined by David Bier,## director of immigration studies# at the Libertarian Cato Institute.

David, nice to have you back on "News Hour."

DAVID BIER, Director of Immigration Studies,# Cato Institute: Thanks for having me on.

LIZ LANDERS: Let's start# with what that report showed.

It's -- obviously, this is impacting# a wide range of Americans.

Who is this## affecting right now and has the United# States seen policies like this before?

DAVID BIER: Well, we absolutely have seen# policies like this before during the first## Trump administration, when he basically# shut down almost all visa processing in## 2020.

That was -- created a huge backlog# of people who had to be processed under## the Biden administration for -- put# people in very similar situations.

I encountered people who had to actually move out# of the United States to be with their loved one## in another country.

And we're seeing similar# decisions being forced upon people today.

If## you look at the totality of it, about half of# all legal immigration, permanent immigration## from abroad, has now been banned by these# policies, so one out of every two immigrants.

If you look at African immigrants in# particular, legal immigrants, again,## it's almost 70 percent of legal immigrants# from -- you're looking at the statistics## from 2024 -- have now been banned by# this administration.

Over 100,000 of## the 300,000 or so who are now affected by this# policy on an annual basis are the spouses and## minor children of legal permanent residents# and U.S.

citizens, so very close relations.

We haven't seen anything --# outside of the COVID-19 pandemic,## we haven't seen anything as# severe as this restriction.

LIZ LANDERS: The State Department has cited# concerns that some of the immigrants were at## high risk of becoming a drain on the# welfare system.

How vetted are these## immigrants?

And is there evidence# that that is actually a problem?

DAVID BIER: No, absolutely not.

You have# to have a financial sponsor in the United## States who is willing to take ownership of# you.

You are also banned from accessing any## means-tested benefits for the first five# years that you are in the United States.

And so there's both the restriction on accessing# the benefits and you also have someone who's there## who has to prove their ability to financially# support you.

And if you look at the immigration## system as a whole, we've now banned half of# the legal immigrants to the United States.

We have estimated that the immigrant population# over the last 30 years has reduced the deficits## by $14.5 trillion over that 30-year period.

So# immigrants, legal immigrants who are coming here,## coming to work, coming to support themselves are# a benefit to the United States, reduce deficits,## and ultimately support the# American system of government.

LIZ LANDERS: The visa pause affecting nationals of# these 75 countries is currently being challenged## in court.

What do you make of the legality# of the government's blanket pause here?

DAVID BIER: Well, if you look at# the Immigration and Nationality Act,## one of the fundamental questions that Congress# was trying to resolve for almost four decades## from the 1920s to the 1960s was whether we were# going to discriminate based on nationality.

They put a provision in that law that# says you cannot discriminate against## visa applicants based on their nationality.# The administration is openly flouting that## restriction and basically daring the Supreme Court# to strike it down and say that this is illegal.

They have already sort of gotten the# Supreme Court's OK on part of the ban## for 40 countries because the president signed# an executive action proclamation saying he is## ordering them being suspended.

But 75 of# the over 90 countries affected by this,## it's just effectively the secretary of# state's tweets who are banning these people.

This is not some formal policy from# the president of the United States.## So I think the litigants here will have# a stronger case because it's really not## a formal policy adopted in# any kind of formal manner.

LIZ LANDERS: You recently wrote for Cato# -- quote -- "that President Trump is## leading the most anti-legal immigrant# administration in American history."

What does that mean?

How so?

DAVID BIER: Well, not only are we banning about# half of the .. this policy.

We have also effectively shut# down the refugee program for about 125,000## individuals who would have otherwise been able# to immigrate legally as refugees from abroad.

He's also shut down the Diversity Visa# lottery which is basically the only way## that many people without family connections# can immigrate legally to the United States.## He has, in addition to those actions, shut# down the legal ways for people to apply## for asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border# and enter the country legally there.

So, overall, he's reduced legal# immigration far more than he's reduced## illegal immigration into the United# States during his first year in office.

LIZ LANDERS: David Bier, thank# you so much for joining us.

DAVID BIER: Thanks for having me.