The Trump administration has enacted sweeping, immediate restrictions on legal immigration, halting the processing and final adjudication of virtually all immigration applications, including green cards and naturalization ceremonies, for individuals from 19 countries already subject to a travel ban.
This unprecedented freeze, outlined in an internal memo from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), affects applicants who have often undergone years of background checks and were on the verge of becoming American citizens, with lawyers reporting numerous canceled oath ceremonies this week for migrants from nations like Venezuela, Iran, and Afghanistan.
The US freezes all immigration cases and citizenship ceremonies for migrants from 19 travel-ban nations as restrictions tighten. https://t.co/T0n3VBxMhR
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USCIS stated that the move is an effort to conduct a comprehensive re-review and ensure that those granted citizenship are “the best of the best,” emphasizing that citizenship is a privilege, not a right. The action follows the tragic shooting of two National Guard members in Washington D.C. last week, where the suspect was an Afghan national, an incident the administration has cited to justify heightened national security scrutiny.
The pause covers a wide range of immigration benefits, expanding previous restrictions that already targeted asylum decisions and a review of green card visas.
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Furthermore, officials are reportedly considering expanding the travel ban list from 19 to as many as 30 countries, signaling an aggressive, systemic shift in policy focused on tightening all legal pathways to the United States.
