The US government has suspended green card and citizenship applications for citizens of 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Yemen, Haiti, Venezuela, Sudan, and Somalia, a memorandum released Tuesday confirmed. The move expands the country’s ongoing migration restrictions first introduced in June.
According to the memorandum, the suspension affects nations already subject to Trump-era travel restrictions and is part of heightened efforts to tighten immigration screening following recent security incidents.
The decision comes after the shooting of two National Guard soldiers last week, in which the main suspect,an Afghan national who entered the United States during the 2021 Afghanistan evacuation was charged with murder. US officials cited the incident as evidence of gaps in immigration vetting and adjudication.
“USCIS plays an instrumental role in preventing terrorists from seeking safe haven in the United States and ensuring that screening prioritizes the safety of the American people,” the memorandum said.
Former President Trump, who campaigned on restricting migration from developing nations, called on November 26 for a “permanent pause” on migration from all Third World countries to allow the US immigration system to recover.
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also suggested expanding travel restrictions to additional countries, citing concerns over security risks and migrants she described as “killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,” though she did not specify which nations.
In response, Minneapolis authorities criticized plans for a federal immigration enforcement operation targeting Somali immigrants in Minnesota, with Mayor Jacob Frey stating, “Our values and our commitments to the Somali community, to every community of immigrants and people in our city, are rock solid and will be unwavering.”
The latest measures highlight a growing crackdown on immigration, with federal authorities emphasizing national security as the central justification for the new restrictions.
