US pauses processing applications for immigration from banned nations
Immigration agents were instructed to “stop final adjudication on all cases” and pause oath ceremonies for migrants nearing citizenship. The decision comes amid reports that President Donald Trump is considering expanding his June travel ban from 19 countries to 30.
The policy follows last week’s shooting in Washington, DC, which left National Guard soldier Sarah Beckstrom dead and Andrew Wolfe critically injured. The suspect, a 29-year-old Afghan national, was living in the US under special protections for Afghans who had worked with US forces prior to the Taliban’s return to power.
The memo, issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), also mandates a re-review of green cards issued to migrants from the affected countries. It states: “This hold includes all form types and making any final decisions (approvals, denials) as well as completing any oath ceremonies.”
USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser told a news outlet: “The Trump administration is making every effort to ensure individuals becoming citizens are the best of the best. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right.”
Immigration lawyers confirmed that some citizenship hearings have already been cancelled for migrants from Venezuela, Iran, and Afghanistan, according to a news agency. The naturalization ceremony, typically held after up to five years of processing, allows new citizens to publicly take the oath of allegiance to the United States.
The administration has increasingly framed migrants and refugees as contributing to what it calls the nation’s “social dysfunction,” and the latest measures are part of an intensified crackdown on immigration following the recent attack on National Guard personnel.
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