Trump administration halts immigration applications for 19 countries on travel ban list
FILE-People march during a rally in Times Square against the Trump administration's immigration policies, while showing their support for immigrant communities in New York City. (Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Trump administration is pausing immigration applications for individuals from 19 countries placed on a travel ban list earlier this year.
This news was announced by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in a policy memo, and comes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard members on Nov. 26 in Washington, D.C.
Last week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph B. Edlow said in a Nov. 28 social media post that the agency would reexamine green card applications for people from "countries of concern."
However, this latest policy update from the USCIS on Dec. 2 gives more detail about the scope of immigrants who will be affected by the change.
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In a policy memorandum posted by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on their website, the agency summarizes the changes to the process. The USCIS is responsible for processing and approving requests for immigration benefits.
This pause puts a hold on immigration-related decisions like green card applications or naturalizations for immigrants from 19 countries that the Trump administration deems "high-risk." And this change also impacts immigrants already in the U.S., regardless of arrival date. USCIS director Joseph Edlow will decide when to lift the pause, according to the memo.
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USCIS officials noted in the Dec. 2 memo that within 90 days the agency would create a list of immigrants for review and, if necessary, referral to immigration enforcement or other law enforcement agencies.
The USCIS also said it would perform a comprehensive review of all "approved benefit requests" for immigrants who entered the country during the Biden administration.
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In June, the Trump administration prohibited travel to the U.S. by citizens of 12 countries and limited access for those from seven others, referencing national security concerns.
This ban impacts Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while the limited access applies to Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The Source: Information for this story was provided by a memo from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, previous LIVENOW from FOX reporting, and the Associated Press. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.