The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it had paused all immigration applications filed by immigrants from 19 non-European countries. Officials said the halt covered green card and US citizenship processing and cited national security and public safety concerns.
The suspension applies to countries already facing partial travel bans since June. The move further tightened immigration rules, a central theme of President Donald Trump’s political agenda. The list includes Afghanistan and Somalia, two nations repeatedly targeted in Trump’s recent remarks.
According to the official memorandum, the decision followed last week’s attack on US National Guard members in Washington. Authorities arrested an Afghan man as the primary suspect. The attack killed one National Guard member and critically injured another. The administration said the incident underscored the need for heightened scrutiny.
Trump also escalated his rhetoric against Somali immigrants. He called them “garbage” and declared that “we don’t want them in our country,” remarks that fueled outrage among rights groups.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement. He deployed federal agents to major cities and expanded efforts to turn away asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border. Although his administration often highlighted deportation operations, it had previously placed less emphasis on reshaping legal immigration systems.
However, the wave of new restrictions announced after the National Guard attack signaled a stronger focus on legal immigration. Administration officials framed the changes as essential for national security and blamed former President Joe Biden for weakened vetting measures.
The list of countries facing the strictest measures includes Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. These nations were already under a full suspension of entries, with limited exceptions, since June.
The remaining countries—Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela—had previously faced partial restrictions. All 19 countries now fall under the new processing halt.
The policy places pending applications on hold and orders a complete re-review of each case. Immigrants from the listed nations may face interviews or re-interviews as part of expanded security screenings. Officials said the process aims to reassess any potential threats.
The memorandum also referenced several recent crimes allegedly involving immigrants, including the National Guard attack, as justification for the tougher measures.
Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the organisation had already received reports of cancelled naturalisation interviews, oath ceremonies and adjustment-of-status appointments for applicants from the affected countries.
