The Trump administration has ordered an immediate halt to immigration processing for people from 19 countries already subject to a broad travel ban, expanding the reach of its national-security framework following last week’s shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House.
The Associated Press reported that the decision was outlined in a policy memorandum published Tuesday by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which oversees the nation’s immigration benefits. The freeze affects pending green card petitions, naturalization interviews and other immigration requests filed by individuals from countries the administration has labeled “high-risk.” The directive grants USCIS Director Joseph Edlow sole authority to determine when the pause will be lifted.
The move builds on a June order barring citizens of 12 countries—and limiting access for seven more—from entering the United States on national security grounds. Reuters noted that Afghanistan and Somalia are among the nations included on the updated list.
According to both AP and Reuters, the memo cites the Thanksgiving-week shooting that killed one member of the National Guard and critically injured another. An Afghan national is in custody as the suspected gunman. The incident has fueled President Donald Trump’s campaign to intensify scrutiny of immigrants, particularly from Muslim-majority nations and African states with strained security infrastructures.
In recent days, Trump has escalated his rhetoric toward Somali immigrants, labeling them “garbage” and insisting the U.S. “does not want them in our country.” The remarks follow his long-running criticism of Somali-American Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar.
The administration’s updated list of impacted countries includes Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen — all of which were already under the most restrictive travel measures. Countries subjected to partial restrictions in June, and now included in the immigration freeze, are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Reuters reported that the USCIS directive requires all immigrants from the listed countries to undergo a “thorough re-review,” including potential interviews or re-interviews, to reassess any perceived public safety or national security threats. The memo cites several recent crimes said to involve foreign nationals.
Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told The Associated Press that attorneys have already documented canceled oath ceremonies, naturalization reviews and adjustment-of-status interviews for applicants from the affected nations.
AP also reported that while earlier travel-ban rules did not retroactively affect immigrants already living in the United States, the new directive now subjects even longstanding residents—regardless of when they entered—to renewed scrutiny. USCIS said it will conduct a full review of immigration benefits granted to individuals who arrived during the Biden administration.
The memo states that within 90 days, the agency will build a priority list for re-examination, potentially forwarding cases to immigration enforcement or other federal law enforcement partners.
In recent days, the administration has also paused all asylum decisions, while the State Department stopped processing visas for Afghans who assisted U.S. forces during the war. Separately, USCIS acknowledged that it would re-evaluate the cases of all refugees admitted under the Biden administration.
The freeze marks one of the administration’s most sweeping intrusions into the legal immigration system since Trump returned to office. While past crackdowns focused primarily on border enforcement and deportations, the new directive extends federal scrutiny deep into the population of immigrants who have lived legally in the United States for years.
The move also signals a recalibration of political messaging. By tying national security concerns directly to legal immigration pathways, the White House is attempting to frame the current system as inherently vulnerable—an argument echoed in Trump’s repeated claims that the Biden administration “allowed dangerous individuals” into the country.
Legal experts note that the broad re-review process could overwhelm an already strained USCIS, delaying interviews, court dates, and employment authorization renewals for tens of thousands of people. Immigration attorneys warn that long-term residents could face indefinite uncertainty, fueling fears within communities that have historically been subject to intensified surveillance and political targeting.
The directive also risks diplomatic friction with several of the listed nations—some of which maintain cooperative security relationships with the U.S. but lack robust internal identification systems. Analysts say the renewed freeze could complicate refugee resettlement pipelines, create additional backlogs for military interpreters, and stir constitutional challenges that mirror earlier lawsuits against Trump-era travel bans.
Despite the administration’s insistence that the measure is temporary, the absence of a clear timeline for reinstating immigration services leaves open the possibility of a prolonged policy shift that reshapes the legal immigration landscape long after the current crisis subsides.
AP/Reuters
