Listen to this article
Approximately 3 minutes
The audio version of this article was created using text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.
The Trump administration on Tuesday said it had suspended all immigration applications, including green cards and U.S. citizenship, filed by immigrants from 19 non-European countries, citing national security and public safety concerns.
The pause applies to people from 19 countries that were already subject to partial travel bans in June, placing further restrictions on immigration, a key feature of US President Donald Trump's policy platform.
The list of countries includes Afghanistan and Somalia.
The official memo outlining the new policy cited an attack on National Guard members in Washington last week in which an Afghan man was arrested as a suspect. As a result of the shooting, one National Guard member was killed and another was seriously wounded.
Trump has also stepped up his rhetoric against Somalis in recent days, calling them “trash” and saying “we don't want them in our country.”
About 80,000 Somalis live in Minnesota, mostly in the Twin Cities metro area. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the community has been an economic and cultural boon to the area.
He also said that the vast majority of Somalis in the US are American citizens and that he is confident that any immigration action will lure people into the country legally.
Last month, Trump said he was immediately ending temporary deportation protections for Somalis living in Minnesota, saying “Somali gangs” were terrorizing the state without providing any evidence or details.
Local officials said Trump's portrayal was inaccurate. In total, according to the government, there are 705 Somalis in the country with temporary protected status.
Target countries already on US restricted lists
Since returning to power in January, Trump has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major U.S. cities and turning away asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. His administration has often emphasized the need for deportations, but so far it has paid less attention to efforts to change legal immigration.
The flurry of promised restrictions following the attack on National Guard members suggests an increased focus on legal immigration aimed at protecting national security and placing blame on former US President Joe Biden for his policies.
The countries included in Wednesday's memo include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, which were subject to the strictest immigration restrictions in June, including a complete suspension of entry with some exceptions.
Others on the list of 19 countries that were subject to partial restrictions in June are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
US President Donald Trump said he would “permanently halt migration” from what he called “third world” countries. Trump's rant followed news that an Afghan national was suspected of shooting two National Guard members in Washington.
The new policy suspends processing of pending applications and requires all immigrants from these countries “to undergo a thorough re-screening, including a potential interview and, if necessary, a re-interview, to fully assess all threats to national and public safety.”
The memo mentions several recent crimes allegedly committed by immigrants, including an attack by the National Guard.
Sharvari Dalal-Deney, senior director of government affairs for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the organization has received reports of cancellations of swearing-in ceremonies, naturalization interviews and adjustments to status interviews for people from countries on the travel ban list.
