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Details were outlined in a policy memo posted on the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website, the agency which processes and approves all requests for immigration benefits.
In his latest crackdown on immigration, United States President Donald Trump has paused all applications from 19 countries his administration describes as “high-risk”.
The move comes after last week’s a shooting in Washington of two National Guard troops by a suspect who is an Afghan national. Details were outlined in a policy memo posted on the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website, the agency which processes and approves all requests for immigration benefits.
The pause includes for green card requests and US citizenship processing filed by people from nations already facing a partial or full travel ban since June. All 19 of the countries are non-European and includes Afghanistan and Somalia.
The new policy places a hold on pending applications. The USCIS said immigrants from countries on the list must “undergo a thorough re-review process” to determine “all national security and public safety threats”.
This applies to “all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021,” the agency said. It added that within 90 days it would create a prioritised list of people for review and if necessary, referral to immigration enforcement or other law enforcement agencies.
Immigration lawyers reported the cancellations of naturalization ceremonies and interviews for immigration status, saying people were turned away with no explanation.
Apart from Somalia, other African countries included are Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Sudan, Burundi, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Other nations impacted by the ban are Myanmar, Haiti, Iran, Yemen, Cuba, Laos, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
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Last week, the director of USCIS said in a social media post that his agency would be re-examining green card applications for people from countries “of concern”.