Trump halts all immigration functions from 19 nations in wake of DC National Guard capturing | EUROtoday

The Trump administration has halted all immigration functions from 19 nations that have been already beneath journey restrictions to the United States following the capturing of two National Guard troopers in Washington, D.C.

A memorandum issued Tuesday by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated {that a} “comprehensive re-review, potential interview, and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern” who entered the U.S. on or after January 20, 2021, was mandatory.

“USCIS has determined that it must implement an adjudicative hold on all pending asylum applications, regardless of the alien’s country of nationality, as well as pending benefit requests filed by aliens from high-risk countries,” the memorandum stated.

“USCIS has considered that this direction may result in delay to the adjudication of some pending applications and has weighed that consequence against the urgent need for the agency to ensure that applicants are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” the memo added.

Afghan nationwide Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who pleaded not responsible to homicide for the capturing on Thanksgiving eve, entered the U.S. legally beneath the Biden administration and was additionally granted asylum after President Donald Trump took workplace this yr.

open picture in gallery

West Virginia service member Sarah Beckstrom died from accidents sustained within the assault, whereas a second guardsman, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, stays in critical situation.

People searching for immigration standing from the 19 nations designated excessive danger by the Trump administration embrace these making use of for inexperienced playing cards and U.S. citizenship. Many wait months, typically years, for his or her immigration standing to be granted.

The nations affected by the pause, a number of the most unstable nations on this planet, are these beforehand banned by Trump in June and embrace Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

Nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela have been partially banned from getting into the U.S. by Trump and are impacted by the pause.

“The Trump administration is making every effort to ensure individuals who are becoming citizens are the best of the best. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right,” Matthew Tragesser, a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, advised The New York Timeswhich first reported the pause. “We will take no chances when the future of our nation is at stake.”

The halt follows Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s proposal of a sweeping new journey ban on “every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies” in a put up on X Monday.

open picture in gallery

“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom—not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS,” Noem stated.

The president later shared her put up on Truth Social with out additional remark, whereas the official DHS X account added: “EVERY DAMN COUNTRY.”

More than 1 million individuals are awaiting selections on their asylum functions, based on a 2024 report from Homeland Security. From these instances, greater than 786,000 folks have been ready greater than 180 days for a call of their affirmative asylum instances.

Immigration legal professionals advised the Times that within the wake of the memo, their shoppers’ interviews had been canceled on arrival “with no clear reason.”

Lawyers raised considerations about how the pause would impression the already strained system.

“Everything is being put on hold,” Texas immigration lawyer Ana Maria Schwartz advised the outlet. “It is just like a traffic jam, and it is just going to get worse and worse and worse.”