The Trump administration has ordered an immediate halt to all immigration processing for nationals of 19 countries, citing a security review following an attack on National Guard members in Washington.
The United States has paused all immigration applications, including requests for green cards and citizenship, for individuals born in or holding citizenship from 19 countries deemed “high risk” by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The freeze, announced on Tuesday, expands upon existing travel restrictions and mandates a “thorough re-review” of applicants to assess potential national security threats.
The countries affected by the pause are Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The directive halts the processing of pending applications and requires a comprehensive review of individuals from these nations who entered the US on or after January 20, 2021. This includes potential re-interviews to verify their vetting status. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has also paused all asylum decisions regardless of nationality.
The policy shift follows the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. last week. The suspect, identified as an Afghan national who previously worked with a CIA-backed unit, had entered the US in 2021.
“This memorandum mandates that all aliens meeting these criteria undergo a thorough re-review process… to fully assess all national security and public safety threats,” the DHS policy document states.
Joseph Edlow, director of USCIS, emphasized the administration’s stance, stating the agency acted on the President’s direction to ensure “every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible”.
This move represents a significant escalation in the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy. While previous measures focused on travel bans and border enforcement, this pause directly impacts legal immigration pathways for thousands of individuals already in the system.
Critics argue the broad pause penalizes vetted immigrants based on their country of origin rather than individual risk. Immigration lawyers report immediate disruptions, including cancelled naturalization ceremonies and interviews for clients from the affected nations. Administration officials have indicated that the list of restricted countries could expand to as many as 30 nations as assessments continue. The duration of the current pause remains indefinite, pending the implementation of enhanced vetting protocols.
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