The White House made a significant policy shift on Tuesday night, halting all immigration applications from 19 countries and indefinitely suspending citizenship ceremonies nationwide. This decision, officials claim, is rooted in addressing urgent national security and public safety concerns.
The freeze impacts a considerable number of individuals – more than 1.5 million with pending asylum applications and over 50,000 who received asylum grants during President Joe Biden's tenure, as reported by the New York Times. The administration is also contemplating extending travel restrictions to over 30 additional countries, according to the New York Post.
This new policy memorandum references last week's tragic incident in Washington, D.C., where Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal was arrested after a shooting that resulted in the death of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, aged 20, and critically injured 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe.
Affected by the ban are citizens from a diverse list of countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Additional restricted access measures have been implemented for individuals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Furthermore, CBS News reports that all immigration-related activities for legal permanent residents from these 19 countries are suspended, including the completion of citizenship ceremonies.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesman Matthew Tragesser supported the stringent measures, stating, "The Trump administration is making every effort to ensure individuals becoming citizens are the best of the best. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right. We will take no chances when the future of our nation is at stake."
A Department of Homeland Security memo, obtained by the Washington Post, outlines the necessity for additional vetting of anyone attempting to migrate to the United States. The memo reads, "This memorandum mandates that all aliens meeting these criteria undergo a thorough re-review process, including a potential interview and, if necessary, a re-interview, to fully assess all national security and public safety threats." The policy grants DHS the authority to potentially block applicants using an expansive definition of "inadmissibility or ineligibility."
Immigration attorney Todd Pomerleau, who represented the mother of press secretary Karoline Leavitt's nephew in court, forecasted legal challenges to the policy. "This is basically allowing for the targeting of people because of their nationality, because of where they're born, who they may associate with, and any ideas they may have, religions they may practice," he said, predicting the policy would be challenged "before the ink is dry."
President Trump first announced plans for the expanded restrictions last week, criticizing former President Joe Biden for allowing unvetted migrants into America. He specifically referenced the Afghan shooting suspect's entry during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal.
Trump has been particularly vocal about Somalis, calling them "garbage" and stating, "we don't want them in our country." In a post on Truth Social, he announced intentions to "permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover," advocating for "REVERSE MIGRATION" and promising to end federal benefits for noncitizens, denaturalize migrants who undermine the country, and deport those considered security risks or "non-compatible with Western Civilization."
Secretary of State Kristi Noem echoed Trump's sentiments, revealing plans for a "full travel ban" on countries sending "killers, leeches and entitlement junkies." She emphasized, "Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom – not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS. WE DON'T WANT THEM. NOT ONE."
This policy shift signals a return to a more stringent immigration stance reminiscent of earlier travel bans, with the Trump administration reaffirming its commitment to an America First agenda.
