Trump administration pauses all immigration applications from 19 non-European countries | US immigration
The U.S. government agency that processes visas and green cards said immigration applications from 19 countries subject to travel bans by the Trump administration earlier this year have been paused indefinitely due to national security concerns.
A. policy note That document, published Tuesday on the website of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), part of the homeland security department, also immediately “judicial suspends” all asylum applications regardless of a person’s nationality and directs review of aliens from “high-risk countries of concern” admitted to the United States after Jan. 20, 2021, the first day of the Biden administration.
This new aggressive stance by immigration officials follows the Thanksgiving week shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., allegedly by an Afghan national who entered the country in September 2021 and was granted asylum by the Trump administration in April.
“USCIS is committed to ensuring that all aliens entering the United States from high-risk countries of concern do not pose a threat to national security or public safety,” the statement read in part.
“This effort ensures that USCIS uses its full authority to investigate requests for immigration assistance made by aliens who may pose a risk.”
The move expands a travel ban from outside Europe imposed on 12 countries by Donald Trump’s June executive order and imposes partial restrictions on seven more. It affects people who were in the U.S. for the first time when the ban went into effect and subjects them to renewed scrutiny, including new interviews.
In a statement released Tuesday, USCIS said it will create a prioritized list of immigrants for review within 90 days and possible referral to immigration enforcement authorities or other law enforcement agencies.
In June, Trump “completely” restricted entry to the United States for citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It imposed partial restrictions on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
“Recently, the United States has seen what a lack of screening, vetting, and prioritizing appropriate decisions can do to the American people,” the four-page memo said, referencing last week’s Washington, D.C., attack and the conviction of another Afghan national, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, for planning an election day shooting in Oklahoma in 2024.
“USCIS plays an effective role in preventing terrorists from seeking safe haven in the United States and ensuring that USCIS’s screening, investigations, and decisions prioritize the safety of the American people and uphold all U.S. laws,” the statement said.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old suspect accused of killing a National Guard member and seriously wounding another the day before Thanksgiving, pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
Following this attack, Trump stated that he planned to “permanently stop immigration from all third world countries,” end federal aid to noncitizens, and eliminate “anyone who is not a net asset to the United States.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, his department stopped issuing visas to all Afghan citizens.
The Trump administration is fighting immigration wars in a variety of areas. An executive order by the president to strip birthright citizenship from anyone born in the United States to undocumented parents or temporary visitors has been blocked by several federal judges.
He also launched a series of aggressive immigration raids by federal agents in several cities, leading to mass protests and the arrest, detention and deportation of hundreds of thousands of people. Despite Trump’s promise to target the “worst of the worst”, government figures released in September show that the majority of those held in immigration prisons have no criminal record.
Department of Homeland Security officials announced the launch of the latest enforcement operation, dubbed the Catahoula Crunch, in New Orleans on Wednesday. A. DHS memo He said the action, which was swarmed by federal border patrol and immigration and customs enforcement (ICE) agents, targeted “criminal, illegal aliens who move freely thanks to sanctuary policies.”
However, several US citizens have been captured in government raids in the past few days, including a high school student in Oregon and a Native American actor in Washington.
Immigration advocates also decried the impact of Trump’s policies on people who want to come to the United States legally.
Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told Reuters that her organization had received reports of canceled swearing-in ceremonies, naturalization interviews and status interviews being arranged for individuals from countries listed in the travel ban.
