Washington, December 3, 2025: The Trump administration on Tuesday announced a 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 move affects countries that were already under partial travel restrictions in June, including Afghanistan and Somalia. The official memorandum references last week’s attack on U.S. National Guard members in Washington, in which an Afghan man was arrested. One member of the Guard was killed and another critically wounded.
The memorandum states that all immigrants from the affected countries will now undergo a “thorough re-review process,” which may include interviews or re-interviews to assess potential national security and public safety risks.
The 19 countries include:
- Those with the most severe June restrictions: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen
- Others with partial June restrictions: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela
Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has prioritized immigration enforcement, deploying federal agents to major cities and limiting asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. While deportation and border control have been key focuses, legal immigration had previously received less attention. The recent policy signals an intensified focus on reviewing existing legal immigration applications, framed around national security considerations.
Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations at the American Immigration Lawyers Association, confirmed reports of cancelled oath ceremonies, naturalization interviews, and adjustment of status interviews for individuals from the affected countries.
The administration has also continued to emphasize public safety in recent statements, citing various crimes allegedly linked to immigrants from these nations.
