Mohammad Siddique immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh over 30 years ago.
He now has two kids and wanted his mom, who still lives there, thousands of miles away, to be close by.
What You Need To Know
Mohammad Siddique said he is “shocked” the U.S. is freezing new immigrant visas beginning Jan. 21. He said his mom was supposed to have an interview for a visa at the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh on Feb. 3
On the social media platform X, the State Department wrote, “The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people”
Immigration activist Shaniyat Turani-Chowdhury, whose family is from Bangladesh, said these policies will hurt New Yorkers who are hoping family members move to the city
The suspension does not impact business, tourist or student visas, which are temporary. It specifically applies to U.S. immigrant visas for foreigners who hope to live in the United States
“I wanted to bring her over here so she could see them,” he told NY1.
He helped get her an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Bangladesh.
“It took me like almost two and a half years,” he said.
The interview for Siddique’s mom was scheduled for Feb. 3. However, the Trump administration announced this week it is indefinitely freezing visa applications for people from 75 countries, including Bangladesh, beginning Jan. 21.
“I was shocked,” he said. “So basically, she wouldn’t be able to come.”
In a statement, the State Department wrote it “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.”
On the social media platform X, the State Department wrote, “The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.”
Siddique argues that those who have visas also pay taxes.
“At the end of the day, even those people, those who take help from the government, but they pay taxes. It’s not like those people don’t pay taxes,” he said.
Immigration activist Shaniyat Turani-Chowdhury, whose family is from Bangladesh, said these policies will hurt New Yorkers who are hoping family members move to the city.
“These policies, they just create fear and uncertainty and silence. So people are becoming less willing to speak out when immigration status or travel feels just conditional or like political obedience,” he said.
Ullash Alam, who lives in Queens, is from Bangladesh and has a green card. He said there are a lot of smart people in his home country who want to come work in the United States.
“Our Bangladeshi students are very good [at] mathematics and everything. They can do everything here in [the] United States of America. And now the sad news, our honorable President [Donald] Trump, he just stopped the visa,” he said. “Maybe he will fix it later.”
The suspension does not impact business, tourist or student visas, which are temporary. It specifically applies to U.S. immigrant visas for foreigners who hope to live in the United States.