TL/DR –
The Trump administration has suspended all immigration applications from 19 specific countries after a shooting incident involving two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. The pause, directed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, affects individuals from nations restricted under a travel ban issued by President Trump in June, and includes the completion of citizenship ceremonies for legal U.S. permanent residents from these countries. The suspension is an interim measure while the administration develops more detailed guidance on vetting the affected immigrants.
The Trump government has put a hold on all immigration applications from 19 countries following the recent shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., according to internal governmental data.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been instructed to \”stop final adjudication on all cases\” involving individuals from these countries as per a directive issued by Mr. Trump, popularly known as the travel ban. This also includes finalizing citizenship ceremonies for legal U.S. residents from these countries.
The nations under the travel ban include Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and partial restrictions for travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
After last week\’s shooting incident, the Trump administration has announced several immigration restrictions, including a pause on all asylum decisions, a suspension of visa and immigration processing for Afghans, and a review of green card cases for immigrants from the banned countries.
The Department of Homeland Security has justified these measures, stating, \”the Trump Administration is making every effort to ensure individuals becoming citizens are the best of the best.\”
On Tuesday, USCIS posted a memo outlining the immigration restrictions enforced since last week’s attack. The application suspension will only be lifted when another memo is issued by the USCIS director.
CBS News reported that Trump administration may consider extending the travel ban to other countries in response to the recent incident. Immigration lawyers have reported cancellations in their clients\’ case proceedings, including citizenship ceremonies.
Former top USCIS official Michael Valverde has termed this shift in immigration policy as \”unprecedented.\”
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