WASHINGTON, CMC – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday held brief talks with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness in the wake of deep regional concern over the United States’ recent intervention in Venezuela, the US military’s strikes on suspected narco-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea, and the US’ freezing of all visa processing for several Caribbean countries.
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Prime Minister Holness to discuss ongoing US assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa and shared regional priorities,” said State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott in a statement.
“Secretary Rubio reaffirmed US support for Jamaica’s recovery and reconstruction,” he added. “Secretary Rubio thanked Prime Minister Holness for his leadership as a strong and reliable regional security partner.”
Pigott said Rubio, the son of Cubans immigrants, who migrated to Miami, also congratulated Holness on Jamaica’s “significant reduction in the number of crimes in 2025 and underscored shared concerns about drug and firearms trafficking, narco-terrorists, and transnational crime, and the importance of continued security cooperation.”
The talks come as the Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it will indefinitely freeze visa processing for 75 countries, including many in the Caribbean, effective Wednesday, January 31.
“The State Department 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,” said Pigott in a statement.
“Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits,” he added.
In addition to Jamaica, Caribbean countries affected by the visa pause include Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Notably absent from the list are Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, and the Dominican Republic, which, reportedly, have been cooperating with Washington in its military strikes in the region.
Other countries on the list for the visa pause are Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
The State Department said the visa freeze on 75 countries will continue until the department reassesses visa processing.
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