U.S. Pauses Immigration Applications from 19 Countries Citing Security Concerns

The Trump administration on Tuesday announced an immediate pause on all immigration applications — including green card and U.S. citizenship processing — for immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing national security and public safety concerns. The list mirrors the nations already facing restrictions under June’s partial travel ban, marking a significant escalation in efforts to tighten legal immigration. Countries affected include Afghanistan, Somalia, Burma, Chad, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, and others.

According to an official memorandum, the halt mandates a comprehensive re-review of all pending applications, including potential interviews or re-interviews for affected applicants. The directive comes in the wake of last week’s attack on U.S. National Guard members in Washington, allegedly carried out by an Afghan national. The incident, along with other crimes highlighted by the administration, has intensified the White House’s national security messaging and renewed scrutiny of legal immigration systems.

The move has led to reports of cancelled naturalization interviews, adjustment-of-status meetings, and oath ceremonies for individuals from the listed countries, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Since returning to office in January, President Trump has ramped up immigration enforcement across U.S. cities while increasingly framing legal immigration reforms as essential to national safety — a sharp shift blamed on what he calls failures of previous policies under former President Joe Biden.

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