Trump administration halts immigration purposes for migrants from 19 travel-ban nations

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is pausing all immigration purposes equivalent to requests for inexperienced playing cards for folks from 19 nations banned from journey earlier this yr, as a part of sweeping immigration adjustments within the wake of the taking pictures of two National Guard troops.

The adjustments had been outlined in a policy memo posted Tuesday on the web site of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the company tasked with processing and approving all requests for immigration advantages.

The pause places on maintain a variety of immigration-related choices equivalent to inexperienced card purposes or naturalizations for immigrants from these 19 nations that the Trump administration has described as high-risk. It’s as much as the company’s director, Joseph Edlow, on when to carry the pause, the memo mentioned.

The administration in June banned journey to the U.S. by residents of 12 nations and restricted entry for these from seven others, citing nationwide safety considerations.

The ban utilized to residents of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen whereas the restricted entry utilized to folks from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

At the time, no motion was taken in opposition to immigrants from these nations who had been already within the U.S. earlier than the journey ban went into impact.

But now the information from USCIS means these folks already within the U.S. — no matter after they arrived — will come beneath additional scrutiny.

The company mentioned it might conduct a complete assessment of all “approved benefit requests” for immigrants who entered the nation in the course of the Biden administration.

The company cited the taking pictures of two National Guard troops by a suspect who’s an Afghan nationwide as a motive for the pause and heightened scrutiny for folks from these nations. One National Guard soldier was killed and one other wounded within the Thanksgiving week taking pictures close to the White House.

“In light of identified concerns and the threat to the American people, USCIS has determined that a comprehensive re-review, potential interview, and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021 is necessary,” the company mentioned.

The company mentioned within the Tuesday memo that inside 90 days it might create a prioritized checklist of immigrants for assessment and if crucial, referral to immigration enforcement or different legislation enforcement companies.

Since the taking pictures, the administration has introduced a flurry of selections it was taking to scrutinize immigrants already within the nation and people looking for to return to the U.S.

Last week, the director of USCIS mentioned in a social media publish that his company could be reexamining inexperienced card purposes for folks from nations “of concern.” But the coverage directive Tuesday goes additional and lays out in additional element the scope of who will probably be affected.

USCIS additionally mentioned final week that it was pausing all asylum choices, and the State Department mentioned it was halting visas for Afghans who assisted the U.S. warfare effort.

Days earlier than the taking pictures, USCIS mentioned in a separate memo that the administration would assessment the instances of all refugees who entered the U.S. in the course of the Biden administration.

Critics have mentioned that the Trump administration’s actions have amounted to collective punishment for immigrants.