Donald Trump out of the blue BANS immigration to US from 19 international locations however listing could hit 30
All asylum claims had been paused by Donald Trump but now the president has extended his immigration freeze to people from 19 countries already on his ban list
Donald Trump has paused immigration applications filed by people from 19 countries, but the president could increase the freeze to even more nations.
The current US administration has stopped green cards and the citizenship process for people from a list of countries Trump included in a travel ban, back in June. These include some of the poorest and most vulnerable nations in the world, including several war-torn countries. The administration has claimed this shocking move has been made due to terrorism threats and national security concerns but a source has reportedly claimed even more countries could be added to this already long list.
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The US Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a memo, on Tuesday, which stated a pause will go into force for green card and citizenship applications from those 19 nations. The four-page memo added that people from these countries will also have requests for benefits paused.
The places added to the travel ban list on June 4 were: Afghanistan, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equitorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Restricted access was also applied to people from: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The shocking new memo from the USCIS said: “USCIS has determined that a comprehensive re-review, potential interview, and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021 is necessary.”
It added: “Ultimately, USCIS has determined that the burden of processing delays that will fall on some applicants is necessary and appropriate in this instance, when weighed against the agency’s obligation to protect and preserve national security.”
This change appeared to go into force immediately as immigration lawyers reported citizenship ceremonies and immigration status interviews for clients were cancelled on Tuesday, according to The New York Times.
The immigration ban could become even worse as a Department of Homeland Security source told The New York Post that the ban list could go up to more than 30 countries. It is currently not known which nations could be impacted.
A spokesperson for the USCIS said: “The Trump administration is making every effort to ensure individuals becoming citizens are the best of the best. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right.”
This comes after Trump said all asylum decisions would be halted after two National Guard soldiers were shot in Washington DC. The suspected shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was an Afghan national and he was granted asylum in the US earlier this year.
On Friday evening, the director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph B. Edlow, on X said: “USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The safety of the American people always comes first.”
