The US government has halted immigration applications from citizens of 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Yemen, and Haiti, according to an official memo released Tuesday. This move intensifies the country’s broad crackdown on migration.
The suspension affects green card and citizenship processing for nations already under travel restrictions announced by President Donald Trump in June.
Other countries on the list include Venezuela, Sudan, and Somalia.
US officials have recently indicated plans to tighten immigration controls further, a response driven by last week’s shooting that killed one National Guard soldier and injured another.
The main suspect in the shooting is an Afghan national who entered the US during the 2021 evacuation following the foreign troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. He pleaded not guilty to murder charges on Tuesday.
The memo highlighted the critical role of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in preventing terrorists from entering the country and ensuring that screening and vetting prioritise American safety.
It referenced the shooting incident as evidence of the dangers of inadequate screening and rapid processing.
Following the shooting, Trump announced on November 26 his intention to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover.”
US Homeland Security head Kristi Noem also called on Monday for expanding the list of countries subject to travel bans.
“I just met with the President. I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,” she said on X, without naming specific countries.
The current travel bans also cover Burundi, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Iran, Laos, Libya, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Togo, and Turkmenistan.
Separately, US media reported plans for a major immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota targeting Somali immigrants, triggering backlash from local leaders.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey vowed that the city’s commitment to the Somali community and all immigrants remains “rock solid and unwavering,” noting that state police would refuse to cooperate.
