The government of US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday… Suspension of all immigration applications They were submitted by citizens of 19 countries on the travel ban list, resulting in a halt to the processing of green cards and U.S. citizenship.
This measure affects countries such as: Iran, Sudan, Eritrea, Haiti, Somalia Others considered it “a state of high political and economic instability.”
The pause, confirmed by Matthew Tragesser, spokesman for US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), seeks to ensure that “those who become citizens are the best of the best. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right,” he told various US media outlets.
The decision includes permanent residency, naturalization, and other immigration procedures supervised by the agency.
Immigration lawyer They reported that interviews and naturalization ceremonies were cancelledWhich caused confusion among applicants. Some immigrants, who had waited months or years, learned of the suspension when they showed up at local USCIS offices, without receiving any explanation or instructions on how to proceed.
This action comes in the context of an increasing crackdown on immigration and after recent national security incidents, including the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, by an Afghan citizen holding asylum.
The new rules announced last week could already affect more than 1.5 million people with pending asylum claims and more than 50,000 people who were granted asylum grants during former President Joe Biden’s administration.