US Suspends Immigration Applications from 19 Non-European Countries

The Trump administration has announced a pause on all immigration applications, including green card and U.S. citizenship processing, for immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing national security and public safety concerns.

The suspension affects countries that were already under partial travel restrictions since June, imposing further limits on immigration—an issue central to President Donald Trump’s political agenda.

An official memorandum outlining the policy references last week’s attack on U.S. National Guard members in Washington, in which an Afghan man has been arrested. One Guard member was killed, and another was critically wounded.

In recent days, Trump has also intensified rhetoric against Somali immigrants, calling them “garbage” and stating that “we don’t want them in our country.”

Since returning to office in January, Trump has prioritized immigration enforcement, deploying federal agents to major cities and turning away asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.

While his administration has emphasized deportations, it has previously focused less on legal immigration changes.

The memorandum indicates that, following the National Guard attack, legal immigration will now receive heightened scrutiny under the banner of national security, with the administration also blaming former President Joe Biden’s policies for existing vulnerabilities.

The 19 countries affected include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, which faced the strictest restrictions in June, including nearly full entry suspensions.

The remaining countries under partial restrictions are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

Under the new policy, all pending applications from these countries are on hold.

Immigrants will undergo a thorough re-review process, which may include interviews or re-interviews, to assess potential national security and public safety risks.

The memorandum cited several recent crimes suspected to have been committed by immigrants, including the National Guard attack.

Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the organisation had received reports of cancelled oath ceremonies, naturalisation interviews and adjustment of status interviews for individuals from countries listed on the travel ban.