US democrats seek probe into visa curbs 

WASHINGTON: Top Senate Democrats have formally asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate what they described as sweeping Trump administration actions that have disrupted the US legal immigration system, including halts in visa processing and fresh scrutiny of previously approved green cards and citizenship cases.

In a set of letters led by Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, lawmakers said the administration’s moves — including pausing immigration benefits processing and launching “re-reviews” of approved applicants — have created widespread uncertainty for immigrants, employers, and families.

“We are deeply concerned that these changes… are an attempt to circumvent the statutory scheme for lawful immigration to the United States, rather than a legitimate exercise in improving the integrity of our immigration system,” the senators wrote.

The request comes amid what Democrats describe as an unprecedented shift in policy. According to the lawmakers, the administration has halted most immigrant benefits processing for applicants from dozens of countries, suspended visa processing more broadly, and curtailed refugee and asylum pathways.

At the same time, officials have proposed revisiting cases already approved under the previous administration — including those involving lawful permanent residents and naturalized US citizens.

In their letter, senators warned that such re-reviews risk targeting individuals without clear justification. “We are concerned that these re-reviews are a pretext for targeting immigrants and naturalized US citizens for unwarranted scrutiny and selective enforcement,” they said.