The Trump administration has put a full pause on immigration applications from people in 19 countries that were already under travel restrictions earlier this year, The New York Times reported. The move means that green card cases, citizenship applications, interviews, and ceremonies for people from these nations have come to an abrupt halt.
Which countries are affected
The list includes several nations that are dealing with poverty, conflict, or political instability.
People from these countries are now stuck in the process:
Turkmenistan, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Libya, Chad, Sudan, Laos, Yemen, Togo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela.
The freeze affects several important immigration steps. This includes a halt on green card interviews, naturalisation interviews, oath ceremonies for citizenship, and other immigration benefits. Several who had waited months or even years for their appointments showed up this week only to be told their interviews were cancelled.
This decision comes after a recent shooting in Washington, DC, where two National Guard members were attacked. The suspect, an Afghan national, has been formally charged with murder after pleading not guilty during his first court hearing on Tuesday. Rahmanullah Lakanwal came to the US in 2021 under a special government program and received asylum in April. His case has intensified the administration’s push to tighten immigration rules.
Officials say they want to make sure that only the “most trustworthy” people receive US citizenship or permanent residency. A spokesperson for US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Matthew Tragesser, told NYT, “The Trump administration is making every effort to ensure individuals becoming citizens are the best of the best. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right.”
What this means for immigrants
The pause comes on top of several major changes announced by the administration in recent days. This includes rechecking green cards issued to people from the travel-ban countries, pausing decisions on asylum cases, reviewing asylum approvals given under the Biden administration, and pausing all visas from Afghanistan. The Department of Homeland Security says all this is needed for security.
More than 1.5 million people with asylum applications pending could be hit by these changes. Over 50,000 people who already received asylum during the Biden administration may also see their cases re-examined.
Immigration lawyers across the country say they are confused. Texas-based lawyer Ana Maria Schwartz told NYT, two Venezuelan clients reached their interview centre in Houston but were told their appointments were cancelled. The officers could not explain why. She says the entire system now feels like “a traffic jam that is only getting worse.”