The Trump administration is suspending all immigration applications, including green card applications, for people from 19 countries that were banned earlier this year as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guardsmen.
The changes were outlined Tuesday on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. The bureau is tasked with processing and approving all immigration benefit applications.
The suspension puts a wide range of immigration-related decisions on hold, including green card applications and naturalization for immigrants from 19 countries the Trump administration has identified as high-risk. The memo says it’s up to the agency’s director, Joseph Edlow, to decide when to lift the moratorium.
In June, the administration banned citizens from 12 countries from traveling to the United States and restricted entry for citizens from seven other countries, citing national security concerns.
The ban applied to nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, and the access restrictions applied to nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
At the time, no action was taken against immigrants from countries who were already in the United States before the travel ban went into effect.
But now, news from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services means those already in the U.S. will face additional scrutiny, regardless of when they arrive.
The agency announced a comprehensive review of all “approved benefits applications” for immigrants entering the country under the Biden administration.
The agency cited the shooting of two National Guard soldiers, allegedly by Afghan nationals, as the reason for the suspension and increased surveillance of nationals of those countries. During Thanksgiving week, one National Guard member was killed and another was injured in a shooting just blocks from the White House.
“Given the identified concerns and threats to U.S. citizens, USCIS has determined that a comprehensive review, potential interview, and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States after January 20, 2021, is necessary,” the agency said.
The agency said in a memo Tuesday that it will develop a priority list of immigrants for review within 90 days and will refer them to immigration enforcement or other law enforcement agencies as necessary.
Since the shootings, the administration has announced a flurry of decisions it has taken to scrutinize immigrants already in the United States and those seeking to enter the United States.
Last week, the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a social media post that the agency would review green card applications for people from “concerned” countries. But Tuesday’s policy directive goes further, setting out in more detail who will be affected.
The agency announced last week that it would suspend all asylum decisions, and the State Department said it would stop issuing visas to Afghans who supported the U.S. war effort.
Days before the shooting, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced in a separate memo that the administration would review the cases of all refugees who entered the United States under the Biden administration.
Critics argue that the Trump administration’s actions amount to collective punishment against immigrants.
Santana writes for The Associated Press.
