WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has instituted a broad suspension on all immigration applications originating from 19 countries labeled as high-risk, citing heightened national security concerns.
Internal USCIS guidance circulated to the media indicates that the agency has paused final adjudications for applicants from the designated nations. This includes the processing of asylum claims, green card applications, and even scheduled naturalization ceremonies. Officials say the freeze will remain in effect while a comprehensive security audit is conducted across all immigration pathways.
The affected countries include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, and, to a partial extent, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Administration sources suggest the list could expand to roughly 30 countries as investigators continue examining the circumstances surrounding the recent attack.
This action represents one of the administration’s most sweeping immigration measures to date, reflecting what officials describe as an urgent need to reassess vetting procedures to protect national security.
Read More: US halts all visas for Afghan passport holders after DC guard shooting
Immigration advocates, however, warn that the broad restrictions may disproportionately affect lawful residents, individuals seeking humanitarian protection, and applicants already deep into the approval process.
The move comes less than week after two National Guard members were shot on patrol in Washington, D.C., leaving one dead and the other critically wounded. The suspect, who pleaded not guilty to murder Tuesday, is an Afghan national who entered the United States legally during the Biden administration and was granted asylum after President Donald Trump took office for a second time..
According to USCIS, more than 1.4 million people have pending asylum applications that could be affected by the new pause.
