The Trump administration announced Tuesday evening that it is halting all immigration applications from 19 countries identified as “high risk.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cited national security concerns following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., allegedly carried out by a 29-year-old Afghan national who had previously worked with a CIA-linked counterterrorism unit.
- The Trump administration has paused immigration applications from 19 countries deemed “high risk.”
- The move follows a deadly shooting in Washington, D.C., allegedly involving an Afghan national.
- Critics argue the policy unfairly targets people based on nationality and will face legal challenges.
- Immigration experts warn of increased bureaucracy, delays, and vague new screening measures.
The countries affected include Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The list mirrors a presidential proclamation issued in June that imposed partial or total entry restrictions on nationals from these countries, often described as a near-total travel ban.
According to DHS, all applicants born in or holding citizenship from these nations will undergo a “thorough re-review process,” which may include interviews or re-interviews to assess potential national security or public safety threats. The memorandum also allows officials to deny applications under broad “inadmissibility or ineligibility” clauses of the Immigration and Nationality Act, giving the administration sweeping discretion.
Immigration lawyer Todd Pomerleau criticized the move, calling it discriminatory and predicting swift legal challenges. “This is basically allowing for the targeting of people because of their nationality, where they’re born, who they associate with, or the religion they practice,” he said. He compared the policy to controversial post-9/11 measures that required males from 24 Muslim-majority countries to register with the U.S. government, a program widely condemned and eventually discontinued in 2011.
Pomerleau warned that the pause will add layers of bureaucracy to an already strained system. “A normal application used to take six months. Now it takes two or three years, with repeated demands for more evidence. It feels like you can never reach the finish line,” he explained.
The announcement followed calls from President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem for tougher immigration enforcement after last week’s shooting. Noem urged Trump to consider a “full travel ban” and accused the Biden administration of failing to properly vet Afghan asylum seekers. She also outlined new screening measures, including reviews of social media accounts, biometric data checks, criminal history cross-references, and annual “check-ins” with the government.
Immigration experts argue that the U.S. already employs rigorous vetting procedures. Sameer Ashar, a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, noted that DHS is designed to scrutinize applicants closely to ensure they are law-abiding and suitable residents. Raquel Aldana, a professor at UC Davis, expressed concern about the expansion of screening criteria, describing them as “nebulous and ill-defined.” She warned that the administration is creating new grounds to deny entry beyond those established by Congress.
The pause underscores the administration’s broader strategy of tightening immigration controls, but it also raises questions about fairness, legality, and the balance between national security and civil rights.
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