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The US State Department announced one of the Trump administration’s most far-reaching efforts to restrict immigration to the country on Wednesday, saying on social media that it will pause processing of all immigrant visas from 75 countries and claiming people from those nations often receive public benefits after arriving in the US.

“The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” reads the statement.

The countries represent more than one-third of the 193 countries on the planet and include Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Laos, Somalia, and Sudan.

The announcement comes as the administration is seeking to expand the definition of what constitutes a “public charge”—people who are likely........

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