The move affects green cards and naturalisation cases; the administration cites national security concerns.
The Trump administration has temporarily halted all immigration applications, including green card and US citizenship procedures, filed by immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing national security and public safety concerns.
The suspension applies to nationals of 19 states who were previously subject to a partial travel ban in June, imposing additional limitations on legal immigration, a core pillar of President Donald Trump’s political agenda.
Afghanistan and Somalia are among the countries on this list. According to the official policy paper, the delay comes after last week’s attack on US National Guard personnel in Washington, in which an Afghan man was captured as a suspect. One Guard member was murdered, while another was badly injured.
Trump has recently intensified his criticism on Somali immigrants, calling them “garbage” and declaring, “We don’t want them in our country.” In one remark mentioned in the document, he said, “With Somalia, which is barely a country, you know, they have nothing.”
Since taking office in January, Trump has focused immigration enforcement, sending federal officers to major cities and restricting asylum access at the US-Mexico border. While the administration has frequently highlighted its deportation efforts, Tuesday’s announcement indicates a greater emphasis on reforming legal immigration within a national security framework.
Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen are among the 19 nations specified in the memorandum. In June, all of these countries suffered the harshest restrictions, including a near-total suspension of entrance with restricted exceptions.
The remaining countries, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, were subject to partial limitations under the previous order.
Under the new policy, any pending applications from people of these countries would be put on hold. All applicants will go through a “thorough re-review process,” which may involve interviews or re-interviews, to determine any potential national security or public safety hazards.
The letter also mentions many recent cases in which immigrants were the accused, including one involving the National Guard.
Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, stated that the organisation had received reports of cancelled oath ceremonies, naturalisation interviews, and adjustment-of-status appointments for persons from the mentioned countries.