Rabat – The Trump administration has ordered an immediate pause on all immigration applications, including green card requests and naturalization petitions, submitted by people from 19 countries already subject to travel bans or access restrictions introduced earlier this year.
The decision marks an expansion of the administration’s immigration overhaul following the shooting of two National Guard troops near the White House during Thanksgiving week.
The move appears in a policy memo posted Tuesday on the website of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency responsible for processing and approving immigration benefits.
The pause affects a wide range of decisions for nationals of countries the administration describes as high risk. Joseph Edlow, the agency’s director, has full authority to determine when the pause will be lifted.
In June, the administration barred travel to the US for citizens of 12 countries.
These include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Another seven countries were placed under restricted access, namely Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
When these measures were first introduced, immigrants from the listed countries who were already living in the US were not affected. The new directive changes that, with USCIS now saying that all immigrants from these countries, regardless of when they arrived, will undergo renewed scrutiny.
All eyes on ‘high-risk’
The agency said the shift is directly linked to the shooting of two National Guard soldiers by a suspect identified as an Afghan national.
One soldier was killed and the other wounded in the attack. USCIS said the incident raised urgent concerns that justified a deeper review of immigration cases tied to countries on the administration’s high risk list.
In the memo, USCIS stated that a comprehensive review, possible interview and potential re-interview of all immigrants from these countries who entered the US on or after January 20, 2021 is necessary in order to protect the American public.
The agency said it would prepare a prioritized list of cases for review within 90 days. These cases may be referred to immigration enforcement or other law enforcement agencies if needed.
The directive follows a series of rapid decisions taken since the shooting. Last week, the USCIS director said that green card applications from people from countries of concern would be reexamined.
The State Department paused visa processing for Afghans who assisted the United States during the war, and USCIS issued another memo announcing a review of all refugees admitted during the Biden administration.
USCIS has also paused all asylum decisions as the administration increases scrutiny of both new applicants and individuals already living in the country.
Critics argue that the measures amount to collective punishment for immigrants from the affected regions. They warn that the wide-reaching pauses and reviews will disrupt thousands of lives.
The administration maintains that the changes are necessary to ensure national security at a moment it describes as increasingly uncertain.
The memo published Tuesday provides the clearest outline so far of how broadly the administration intends to apply these new measures and how many people may ultimately be affected.
