Trump administration halts immigration applications for migrants from 19 nations
Presidential Proclamation 10949 restricts entry for nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while partially limiting entry from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The United States has suspended all pending asylum applications and immigration benefit requests for nationals of 19 non-European countries, citing national security and public safety concerns.
The directive, communicated via a memo issued on Tuesday by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), will affect both new and previously approved applications.
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"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," the memo, seen by The Eastleigh Voice, reads.
"Place a hold on pending benefit requests for aliens from countries listed in Presidential Proclamation 10949...pending a comprehensive review, regardless of entry date."
Presidential Proclamation 10949 restricts entry for nationals of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while partially limiting entry from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The memo also ordered a comprehensive review of approved benefit requests for aliens from the 19 countries who entered the United States on or after January 20, 21.
"This memorandum mandates that all aliens meeting the 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 along with any other related grounds of inadmissibility or ineligibility."
"An individualised case-by-case review and assessment will be done of all relevant information and facts. UCIS will also conduct a comprehensive review of all relevant policies."
The policy comes after last week's shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, prompting President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to call for stricter immigration enforcement.
The alleged shooter, a 29-year-old Afghan national granted asylum in April, had entered the United States in 2021. He has previously worked with multiple US government agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
According to experts, the USCIS directive could delay processing for thousands of pending and approved cases, as agencies conduct the comprehensive reviews outlined in the memo.
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