The changes were outlined in a policy memo posted on the website of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency tasked with processing and approving all requests for immigration benefits.
The pause puts on hold a wide range of immigration-related decisions such as green card applications or naturalisations for immigrants from those 19 countries the Trump administration has described as high-risk.
It is up to the agency’s director, Joseph Edlow, on when to lift the pause, the memo said.
The administration in June banned travel to the US by citizens of 12 countries and restricted access for those from seven others, citing national security concerns.
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Donald Trump attends a cabinet meeting on Tuesday at the White House. Photo: Reuters
Today’s News in 90 seconds – 4th December 2025
The ban applied to citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, while the restricted access applied to people from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
At the time, no action was taken against immigrants from those countries who were already in the US before the travel ban went into effect.
But now the news from USCIS means those people already in the US – regardless of when they arrived – will come under extra scrutiny.
The agency said it would conduct a comprehensive review of all “approved benefit requests” for immigrants who entered the country during the Biden administration.
The agency cited the shooting of two National Guard troops by a suspect who is an Afghan national as a reason for the pause and heightened scrutiny for people from those countries. One National Guard soldier was killed and another wounded in the Thanksgiving week shooting near the White House.
“In light of identified concerns and the threat to the American people, USCIS has determined that a comprehensive re-review, potential interview and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021, is necessary,” the agency said.
The administration has announced a flurry of decisions it was taking to scrutinise immigrants
The agency said in the memo that within 90 days it would create a prioritised list of immigrants for review and, if necessary, referral to immigration enforcement or other law enforcement agencies.
Since the shooting, the administration has announced a flurry of decisions it was taking to scrutinise immigrants already in the country and those seeking to enter the US.
In one family-owned restaurant in New Orleans, a woman assembled makeshift beds, so family members could sleep there to avoid potentially being profiled by federal agents while traveling between home and work. The woman, who asked to be identified only by her first name, Abby, said her family came to the US from Mexico two decades ago but that she and others have not been able to obtain legal status.
We’re hard-working people. We’re people who get up early to achieve our goals
She said she worried she could be arrested by immigration authorities and separated from her 10-year-old son, a US citizen.
“Not all of us are criminals,” she said. “We’re hard-working people. We’re people who get up early to achieve our goals and fight for our dreams.”
New Orleans city council member Lesli Harris said the enforcement operation was causing fear and anxiety in the city, telling CNN that “what we’re learning is that they are targeting people who are here legally, who are mothers of children, high school students.” The operation in New Orleans was expected to run through the end of the year but its scope remains unclear.
Yesterday, the US state department said the US will restrict visas for Nigerians and their family members responsible for mass killings and violence against Christians.
“The United States is taking decisive action in response to the mass killings and violence against Christians by radical Islamic terrorists, Fulani ethnic militias, and other violent actors in Nigeria and beyond,” secretary of state Marco Rubio said in a statement posted on social platform X.
He added the policy would apply to other governments or individuals engaged in violations of religious freedom.
Also yesterday, Mr Trump said he was granting a “full and unconditional pardon” to Democratic representative Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife Imelda, who were charged with bribery.
Last year, they were indicted for allegedly accepting close to $600,000 (€ 514,416) in bribes in two schemes meant to benefit an Azerbaijani state-owned energy company and an unnamed bank based in Mexico.