The Trump administration halts immigration applications for migrants from 19 travel ban countries, including Afghanistan and Somalia

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has temporarily halted all immigration applications such as those for green cards for people from 19 countries that were banned from traveling earlier this year, as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shootings of two National Guard troops.

The changes were outlined in a policy memorandum posted Tuesday on the website of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency charged with processing and approving all applications for immigration benefits.

This pause leads to the suspension of a wide range of immigration-related decisions, such as applications for green cards or naturalization of immigrants from those 19 countries that the Trump administration has described as high-risk. The memo said it was up to the agency’s director, Joseph Edlow, on when the temporary suspension would be lifted.

In June, the administration banned travel to the United States by citizens of 12 countries, and restricted the entry of citizens of seven other countries, citing national security concerns.

The ban applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen while the access restriction applies to people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

At that time, no action was taken against immigrants from those countries who were already in the United States before the travel ban went into effect.

But now news from USCIS means those people already in the US — regardless of when they arrive — will be subject to greater scrutiny.

The agency said it will conduct a comprehensive review of all “approved benefit applications” for immigrants who entered the country during the Biden administration.

The agency cited the shooting of two National Guard soldiers by a suspect, an Afghan national, as a reason to stop and increase scrutiny of people from those countries. A National Guard soldier was killed and another wounded in a Thanksgiving week shooting near the White House.

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“In light of the identified concerns and the threat to the American people, USCIS has determined that a comprehensive re-review and potential interview and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021 is necessary,” the agency said.

Within 90 days, the agency said in a memo Tuesday that it would create a list of prioritized migrants to review and, if necessary, refer them to immigration enforcement or other law enforcement agencies.

Since the shooting, the administration has announced a series of decisions it would take to vet immigrants already in the country and those seeking to come to the United States.
Last week, the director of USCIS said in a social media post that his agency would re-examine green card applications for people from “concerning” countries. But Tuesday’s policy guidance goes further and sets out in more detail the scope of people who will be affected.

USCIS also said last week that it would temporarily halt all asylum determinations, and the State Department said it would halt visas for Afghans who helped the U.S. war effort.

Days before the shooting, USCIS said in a separate memo that the agency would review the cases of all refugees who entered the United States during the Biden administration.

Critics said the Trump administration’s actions amounted to collective punishment of immigrants.