The United States has suspended the processing of all asylum applications and immigration benefit requests submitted by citizens of 19 countries designated as “high-risk,” following a new directive issued Tuesday by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The policy memo instructs USCIS officials to immediately place holds on all pending asylum applications (Form I-589) while the agency undertakes a comprehensive review of its screening and vetting procedures.
It also orders a freeze on all pending immigration benefits filed by nationals of countries listed under Presidential Proclamation 10949, irrespective of when they entered the United States.
In a further tightening of immigration controls, USCIS has mandated a full re-review of previously approved applications for nationals of the 19 affected countries who entered the US on or after January 20, 2021. These individuals may now be subjected to new interviews, or re-interviews, as part of renewed national-security vetting.
The proclamation applies full entry restrictions to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, while imposing partial restrictions on nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
The sweeping halt comes in the wake of increased political pressure from President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who have both demanded tougher immigration measures following last week’s shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
The suspect, a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the US in 2021 after the Kabul evacuation, had been granted asylum in April and previously worked with several US government agencies, including the CIA, according to US media reports.
Leave a Reply