Trump administration halts immigration applications for migrants from 19 travel-ban nations
Washington (AP): The Trump administration is pausing all immigration applications such as requests for green cards for people from 19 countries banned from travel earlier this year, as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops.
The changes were outlined in a policy memo posted Tuesday on the website of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 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 that the Trump administration has described as high-risk. It's 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.
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 agency said in the Tuesday memo that within 90 days it would create a prioritized 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 scrutinize immigrants already in the country and those seeking to come to the US.
Last week, the director of USCIS said in a social media post that his agency would be reexamining green card applications for people from countries “of concern." But the policy directive Tuesday goes further and lays out in more detail the scope of who will be affected.
USCIS also said last week that it was pausing all asylum decisions, and the State Department said it was halting visas for Afghans who assisted the US war effort.
Days before the shooting, USCIS said in a separate memo that the administration would review the cases of all refugees who entered the US during the Biden administration.
Critics have said that the Trump administration's actions have amounted to collective punishment for immigrants.
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Ruturaj scores unbeaten 67 as CSK beat MI by eight wickets
Chennai (PTI): Ruturaj Gaikwad struck his second successive half-century of the season as Chennai Super Kings cruised to a commanding eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.
Gaikwad remained unbeaten on 67 off 48 balls, stitching an unbroken 98-run stand for the third wicket with Kartik Sharma (54 not out) to comfortably chase down the target of 160 after Mumbai were stopped at 159 for seven.
Mumbai Indians' struggles continued as they only have two wins in nine matches, remaining on four points, while CSK climbed to eight points from nine games.
Earlier, MI's innings never quite gained momentum, with Naman Dhir the lone bright spot with a 57. He walked in after Will Jacks fell for one in the second over and added 40 runs for the third wicket with Suryakumar Yadav (21).
For CSK, left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad (2/26) was the pick of the bowlers, removing Ryan Rickelton (37) and Tilak Varma (5), while Anshul Kamboj (3/32) impressed with an effective spell.
Brief scores:
Mumbai Indians 159 for 7 in 20 overs (Ryan Rickelton 37, Naman Dhir 57; Noor Ahmed 2/26, Anshul Kamboj 3/32).
Chennai Super Kings: 160 for 2 in 18.1 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 67 not out, Urvil Patel 24, Kartik Sharma 54 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 1/20).
