The Trump administration’s immigration policies have sharply reduced the number of legal immigrant visas issued, cutting them by roughly half early this year, according to government data. In February, the State Department issued 26,000 immigrant visas, which provide green cards and permanent resident status, compared with a monthly average of 52,000 visas before President Trump took office.

The reduction followed a series of measures implemented late last year and early this year that effectively barred immigrants from 91 countries and curtailed visa availability for applicants from 61 additional nations. Africa and the Middle East were particularly affected, with immigration from Muslim-majority countries dropping by more than 90 percent.

While President Trump has frequently emphasized his administration’s efforts to crack down on undocumented immigration, these restrictions on legal immigration represent some of the most significant cuts in nearly a century. David Bier, an immigration expert at the libertarian Cato Institute, noted that aside from pandemic-related travel restrictions, the scale of visa reductions rivals those during the Hoover administration of the Great Depression, which also imposed broad restrictions on legal immigration.

During Mr. Trump’s first year in office, visa numbers declined modestly by around 10 percent. However, a January expansion of a travel ban blocked visa issuance and entry for individuals from 39 countries, and a concurrent pause affected immigrants from an additional 52 countries. Earlier in December, the administration also suspended the immigrant diversity visa program, which targets applicants from countries with historically low U.S. immigration rates.

The administration defended these actions by citing the need for enhanced screening of visa applicants to address security concerns and reduce future use of public benefits. However, the resulting restrictions have left thousands of immigrants in limbo after years of navigating complex legal pathways.

Daniel Brackins, a U.S. citizen from Los Angeles, shared the personal impact of the policy, recounting how his wife Zhanna was prevented from entering the United States, forcing their young son to be born abroad in Kazakhstan. “It puts a lot of stress on the relationship,” he said, describing the emotional toll of watching their child grow over video calls.

Visa issuance continued to stall for more than eight months in affected countries, while neighboring Canada and Mexico—where the restrictions did not apply—saw visa numbers rise, accounting for about 30 percent of immigrant visas issued in February.

The policies were enacted without congressional approval and have faced legal challenges. Federal courts in two separate lawsuits ordered the government to resume visa issuance by the end of August, but many applicants remain waiting. Among them is Wilian Nelson Hernandez Morales, stranded in Guatemala since January. After entering the United States illegally as a minor, Mr. Hernandez later applied for a marriage-based green card following his 2021 wedding to U.S. citizen Angela Duro. Though his application would have been approved if not for the visa freeze, he has yet to return to his family in Middlesex, New Jersey.