Chicago – December 03, 2025
The Trump administration has announced a sweeping pause on immigration applications including green card and naturalization requests for individuals from 19 countries previously targeted under this year’s expanded travel restrictions. The decision, outlined in a new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy memo released Tuesday, marks a major shift in federal immigration procedures following the shooting of two National Guard troops near the White House.
According to the memo, the pause impacts a wide range of immigration benefits for applicants from countries the administration labels as “high-risk.” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow will determine when the freeze is lifted.
Earlier this year, the administration banned travel from 12 nations and restricted entry from seven others, citing national security threats. The full list includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, with additional restrictions on travelers from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Initially, immigrants from these countries already living in the U.S. were not affected. However, the new directive changes that dramatically. USCIS now says it will conduct a full re-review of all approved immigration benefits for individuals who entered the U.S. on or after January 20, 2021, the start of the Biden administration.
The policy shift was triggered by the Thanksgiving-week shooting of two National Guard soldiers, allegedly carried out by an Afghan national. One soldier was killed and the other seriously injured in the attack near the White House.
“In light of identified concerns and the threat to the American people, USCIS has determined that a comprehensive re-review, potential interview, and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern is necessary,” the agency said.
This move signals heightened scrutiny for thousands of immigrants and raises significant questions about how long the pause will last and how it may reshape U.S. immigration policy going forward.
