The Trump administration said on Tuesday that it has suspended all immigration applications, including immigration processes. green card and naturalization, filed by immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing national security and public protection concerns.
The measure applies to people from 19 countries that had already been subject to a partial travel restriction in June, expanding limitations on immigration, a central axis of President Donald Trump’s political platform.
The list includes Afghanistan and Somalia.
Continues after advertising
The official memo detailing the new policy mentions the attack on National Guard members in Washington last week, in which an Afghan was arrested as a suspect. One member of the National Guard died and another was in critical condition after the shooting.
Trump has also intensified recent attacks on the Somali population, calling them “trash” and stating that “we don’t want them in our country.”
Since returning to office in January, Trump has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major U.S. cities and barring asylum seekers at the border with Mexico. His administration has frequently highlighted deportation policy, but until now it has given less weight to moves to reshape legal immigration.
The wave of restrictions announced after the attack on the National Guard signals an increased focus on legal immigration, framed as a measure to protect national security and accompanied by criticism of former President Joe Biden for his policies.
The list of countries included in Wednesday’s memo covers Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — all subject to the most severe restrictions in June, including a complete suspension of entry, with few exceptions.
The remaining countries, which faced partial restrictions in June, are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Continues after advertising
The new policy suspends applications under review and determines that all immigrants from the listed countries “go through a complete re-evaluation process, including an eventual interview and, if necessary, a new interview, to evaluate all threats to national security and public protection”.
The memo cites several recent crimes allegedly committed by immigrants, including the attack on the National Guard.
Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the organization has received reports of canceled oath ceremonies, suspended naturalization interviews and canceled adjustment of status interviews for people from countries included in the restriction.
Continues after advertising
(com Reuters)
