Trump Admin Freezes Immigration From 19 Countries – Over 1.5M Applications Now On Hold
The White House announced Tuesday night it has halted all immigration applications from 19 countries and suspended citizenship ceremonies nationwide, a sweeping action officials say addresses national security and public safety concerns.
The freeze could impact more than 1.5 million people with pending asylum applications and over 50,000 individuals who received asylum grants during the Biden administration, according to the New York Times.
The administration is also weighing an expansion of the travel restrictions to more than 30 additional countries, the New York Post reported.
The new policy memorandum directly references last week’s incident in Washington, D.C., where Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal was arrested in connection with a shooting that killed National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and left 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe critically injured.
The ban applies to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Restricted access measures affect people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
All immigration-related activities have been suspended for legal permanent residents from these 19 countries, including the completion of citizenship ceremonies, CBS News reported.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Matthew Tragesser defended the action.
“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,” he said.
“We will take no chances when the future of our nation is at stake.”
A Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by the Washington Post states that anyone attempting to migrate to the United States will require additional vetting.
“This memorandum mandates that all aliens meeting these criteria undergo a thorough re-review process, including a potential interview and, if necessary, a re-interview, to fully assess all national security and public safety threats,” the document reads.
The policy gives DHS authority to potentially block applicants using an expansive definition of “inadmissibility or ineligibility.”
Immigration attorney Todd Pomerleau, who recently represented the mother of press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew in court, predicted legal challenges.
“This is basically allowing for the targeting of people because of their nationality, because of where they’re born, who they may associate with, and any ideas they may have, religions they may practice,” he said, adding the policy will be challenged “before the ink is dry.”
President Trump first announced plans for the expanded restrictions last week, criticizing former President Joe Biden for allowing unvetted migrants into America.
He specifically referenced the Afghan shooting suspect’s entry during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal.
The president has intensified his statements regarding Somalis recently, calling them “garbage” and stating “we don’t want them in our country.”
In a Truth Social post last Thursday night, Trump said he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover.”
“Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation,” he wrote, promising to end all federal benefits for noncitizens, denaturalize migrants who undermine the country, and deport foreign nationals considered security risks or “non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
Secretary of State Kristi Noem reinforced the position Monday, revealing plans for a “full travel ban” on countries sending “killers, leeches and entitlement junkies.”
“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. WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE,” she said.
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