Measure, which reinforces the US president’s anti-immigration policy, is announced after the shooting in Washington involving an Afghan citizen
The government of suspended the processing of citizenship and residency applications for migrants from 19 countries, including Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela, a move that intensifies the president’s anti-immigration policy
The Republican president particularly hardened his position regarding the three Latin American nations, especially with the in recent months, by ordering an unprecedented military mobilization in the Caribbean.
Trump claims he ordered an operation to combat drug trafficking, but Caracas denounces that the objective is to overthrow the president
Cuba, in turn, has been under a US trade embargo for more than six decades, while Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, is the scene of a humanitarian crisis as a result of gang violence.
According to an official memo released on Tuesday (2) and to which AFP had access, the Trump administration halted the processing of “green cards”, permanent residence visas, in addition to citizenship processes for people from 19 countries, which had already faced travel restrictions since June.
In addition to Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela, the measure also affects citizens of Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Myanmar, Burundi, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Laos, Libya, Sierra Leone, Togo and Turkmenistan.
Senior US government officials had anticipated in recent days that the country would tighten immigration policies following the shooting attack on two National Guard soldiers near the White House last week.
The suspect in the attack, which killed a soldier, is an Afghan man who pleaded not guilty to murder charges at a hearing on Tuesday. The man arrived in the United States during mass evacuation operations following the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan in 2021.
“Killers” and “leeches”
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) “plays a central role in preventing terrorists from seeking refuge in the United States and in ensuring that its selection, investigation, and assignment processes prioritize the safety of the American people and respect all laws,” the memo states.
The document adds that the government recently proved “what the lack of assessment, verification and prioritization of quick decisions can do to the American people”, citing as an example the alleged perpetrator of the attack on members of the National Guard last week.
Trump, who campaigned to return to the White House on a promise to deport millions of undocumented migrants, said on Nov. 26, after the shooting, that he planned to “permanently pause migration from all third world countries to allow the American system to fully recover.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday also called for expanding the list of countries affected by the June travel restrictions.
“I just met with the president. I recommend a total travel ban for every damn country that has flooded our nation with murderers, leeches and addicts who believe they are entitled to everything,” she said on the social network X, without mentioning the nations that, in her opinion, should be included.
On Tuesday, the American press reported that federal authorities intend to launch a major immigration control operation in Minnesota in the coming days, which would focus on Somali citizens, which provoked a reaction from local politicians, who stated that the state police will not cooperate with the action.
*With information from AFP
