Washington, D.C., December 3, 2025 – The Europe Today: The Trump administration has ordered a halt to all immigration applications from individuals originating from 19 countries, marking the latest step in its effort to restrict legal immigration pathways. The move follows last week’s shooting of two National Guard members in the U.S. capital, media reports said.
According to internal U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) guidance obtained by CBS News, the agency instructed staff on Monday to “stop final adjudication on all cases” involving nationals from countries affected by a proclamation issued by former President Trump in June 2025, commonly referred to as the travel ban. The suspension includes completion of citizenship ceremonies for legal permanent residents from the 19 countries who were nearing naturalization.
“This hold includes all form types and making any final decisions (approvals, denials) as well as completing any oath ceremonies,” the USCIS directive stated.
Trump’s June proclamation had imposed near-total restrictions on entries from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while partially limiting immigration from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The recent guidance indicates that the immigration crackdown following the National Guard shooting is broader than previously reported. The alleged shooter, an Afghan evacuee granted asylum in April 2025 under the Biden administration, had entered the U.S. in September 2021.
The administration has already implemented measures including pauses on asylum decisions, suspension of visa and green card processing for Afghans, and reviews of cases involving nationals from the 19 countries. However, the new directive extends the suspension to all USCIS applications, including citizenship requests.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS, stated that the administration is “making every effort to ensure individuals becoming citizens are the best of the best” and is reviewing all immigration benefits granted by the Biden administration to nationals from the designated “Countries of Concern.”
A USCIS memo dated December 2 formalized the suspension of all applications from the 19 countries, pending a comprehensive review. Cases of nationals who arrived after January 2021 will undergo a thorough re-review process, potentially including interviews, to assess national security, public safety, and other grounds of inadmissibility. The pause will remain in effect until the USCIS Director issues further guidance.
Reports indicate the administration is also considering expanding the travel ban to include additional countries, potentially raising the total number to around 30. Immigration lawyers have confirmed that some clients’ citizenship ceremonies and other cases have already been canceled or delayed.
Former top USCIS official Michael Valverde described the move as “unprecedented” due to its scale and its application across all immigration benefit categories.
