US halts all immigration applications for nationals of 19 countries

WASHINGTON

The Trump administration has halted all pending asylum applications and all immigration benefit requests filed by nationals of 19 “high-risk countries,” according to a new policy memorandum issued Tuesday by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The directive instructs agency personnel to “place a hold on all Forms I-589 (Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal), regardless of the alien’s country of nationality, pending a comprehensive review.”

It further orders officers to “place a hold on pending benefit requests for aliens from countries listed in Presidential Proclamation 10949…pending a comprehensive review, regardless of entry date.”

The memo also mandates a “comprehensive re-review of approved benefit requests” for nationals of the 19 countries who entered the US on or after Jan. 20, 2021. Those subject to the policy will undergo a renewed vetting process, including “a potential interview and, if necessary, a re-interview, to fully assess all national security and public safety threats.”

The proclamation referenced in the memo imposes restrictions on the entry of citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen and partially restricts entry from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The move comes after President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called for an intensified immigration crackdown following the shooting last week of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.

The suspect, a 29-year-old Afghan national granted asylum in April, entered the US in 2021 following the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and had previously worked with multiple US government entities, including the CIA, according to US media reports.