America Halts Immigration for 19 Nations: The United States has suspended immigration applications, including petitions for citizenship and green cards, for individuals from 19 nations already subject to a travel restriction during the Trump administration. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has mandated a complete halt while the government examines its screening processes, agency representatives told the newspaper.
Applicants from Afghanistan, Myanmar, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela are all impacted by the freeze.
The move comes days after President Donald Trump pledged to suspend all immigration from certain nations, citing the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C. Charges have been brought against the alleged gunman, an Afghan who previously served with the CIA during the US war in Afghanistan. One Guard member died, the other remains in critical condition.
All Afghan applications had already been placed on hold by USCIS while an internal examination was conducted. The latest measure broadens that freeze to the full list of nations vulnerable to Trump’s June prohibition on obtaining new status from USCIS. It implies that even candidates who were on the verge of clearance after years of background checks could suddenly experience unending delays.
Asylum determinations are also on hold until we can make sure that every alien is thoroughly scrutinized and vetted, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow stated on X. Immigrant-rights supporters claim the US already runs one of the world’s most strict screening procedures.
Critics argue the recession has been worsening under Trump’s return to the White House, with asylum cases stacking up and visa processing sharply reduced. Secretary of State Marco Rubio added to the clampdown on Tuesday, announcing a freeze on issuing visas to anyone traveling on Afghan passports.
Trump has recently intensified his rhetoric about immigration, claiming that he intends to deport millions of people who are now lawfully residing in the United States and permanently halt immigration from less developed nations. He has blamed immigrants for crime, housing shortages and what he calls social disintegration, telling supporters he wants reverse migration.
America Halts Immigration for 19 Nations
For individuals from 19 nations included by this year’s increased travel ban, the Trump administration has stopped processing all immigration applications, including petitions for green cards. The move was revealed in a new US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy memo posted Tuesday. The ban, given out as part of sweeping immigration restrictions following the shooting of two National Guard men, effectively limits access to immigration benefits for applicants from the impacted nations.
USCIS said the suspension was caused by the Thanksgiving week incident near the White House, in which an Afghan national is accused of murdering one National Guard soldier and wounded another. It cited the occurrence as rationale for heightened examination of applications from the impacted countries.
According to the agency, which was quoted by AP, “USCIS has determined that a comprehensive re-review, potential interview, and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021 is necessary in light of identified concerns and the threat to the American people. “The agency also stated it would carry out a complete examination of all “approved benefit requests” for immigrants who arrived in the US during the Biden administration.
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Who faces the ban?
Regardless of when they came, those people will now be subject to more scrutiny, according to the most recent guidance from USCIS.The memo, underscoring the depth of the new limits, notes that, “this hold includes all form types and making any final decisions (approvals, denials) as well as completing any oath ceremonies.”A number of clients, including applicants from Afghanistan, Iran, and Venezuela, had their citizenship hearings postponed this week, immigration attorneys told ABC News.Naturalisation ceremonies, which mark the last step after as many as five years of processing, are usually jubilant gatherings where new citizens take the oath of allegiance while waving little American flags.
USCIS last week also froze all asylum judgments, while the State Department halted visa processing for Afghans who aided the US combat effort. The most recent actions coincide with Trump’s growing accusations that immigrants and refugees are to blame for the nation’s “social dysfunction.”