The Trump administration has suspended all immigration applications from citizens of 19 countries outside Europe. The suspension includes the processing of Green Cards and naturalisation. The administration stated that this step was taken to safeguard national and public security.
These countries had already been facing partial travel restrictions imposed in June. Under the new decision, the restrictions have been further tightened. The listed countries are Afghanistan, Somalia, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
According to the policy, the suspended applications will undergo mandatory review, and applicants may be required to attend interviews or reinterviews. An official explanation cited an attack in Washington by an Afghan national on members of the US National Guard, resulting in one death and another serious injury.
The administration has also adopted a harsh tone regarding Somali nationals. The American Immigration Lawyers Association reported that naturalisation ceremonies, interviews, and status adjustment interviews for nationals of the listed countries have been cancelled.
Following his return to power for a second term, Trump has taken an aggressive approach to enforcing immigration laws. The administration has deployed federal agents to major US cities and has sent back asylum seekers at the US–Mexico border. While earlier the focus was largely on deporting undocumented immigrants, the administration is now moving towards stricter measures within the legal immigration system as well. It claims that limiting legal immigration is essential for national security and blames the policies of former President Joe Biden.
Source: Reuters
TSN