Trump freezes green card, citizenship applications from 19 countries (Full list)

The Trump administration announced on Tuesday a temporary pause on all immigration applications, including green card and U.S. citizenship processing, for immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing national security and public safety concerns.

The affected countries were previously subject to partial travel restrictions in June and include Afghanistan, Somalia, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

An official memorandum accompanying the announcement linked the new restrictions to last week’s shooting targeting U.S. National Guard members in Washington, D.C., in which an Afghan man was arrested. One guard was killed, and another critically wounded.

The memorandum mandates a “thorough re-review process” for all pending applications from the listed countries. This may include interviews or re-interviews to assess potential national security or public safety risks.

Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has emphasized stricter immigration enforcement, deploying federal agents to major cities and tightening asylum policies at the U.S.-Mexico border. While his administration has focused heavily on deportations, legal immigration restrictions had previously received less attention.

Trump has recently escalated rhetoric against Somalis, describing them as “garbage” and stating they are “not wanted” in the United States. The latest policy appears to expand the administration’s focus on legal immigration under the guise of national security, with critics noting it also frames President Joe Biden’s policies as contributing to the perceived threat.

Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the organization had received reports of canceled oath ceremonies, naturalization interviews, and adjustment-of-status interviews for individuals from the affected countries.