Washington — December 2, 2025 | Dalena Reporters
The Trump administration has announced a sweeping freeze on immigration applications filed by citizens of 19 countries previously identified under a travel-ban regime a move that immediately halts green-card processing, naturalisation ceremonies, work-permits, asylum applications, and other immigration benefits for thousands of foreign nationals.
Under an internal memo issued by USCIS, officers have been instructed to “stop final adjudication on all cases” involving applicants from affected countries. The freeze extends to all forms of immigration petitions including those for permanent residency, citizenship, refugee or asylum status, work authorizations and travel documentation.
The list of countries includes, among others, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Sudan, Yemen, Cuba, Eritrea, Libya and Venezuela — many of which had been subject to earlier travel restrictions or heightened security scrutiny.
The freeze follows a deadly shooting near the White House carried out by a former Afghan national that triggered a broader scramble in Washington over immigration and national-security policy. In response, the administration not only paused asylum decisions, but also signalled a sweeping review and re-screening of previously granted immigration and refugee statuses.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said that asylum decisions which had already been halted earlier will remain suspended “until we can ensure every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.
The sudden action has created widespread uncertainty. Thousands of legal immigrants some of whom had already undergone years of background checks, paid fees, and awaited final adjudication now face indefinite delays. Naturalization ceremonies have been cancelled; interviews for green-cards and work permits postponed; asylum-seekers remain in limbo.
Refugee-advocacy groups and civil-rights organisations have condemned the freeze as excessive and discriminatory, calling it a form of collective punishment that undermines long-standing U.S. commitments to asylum and humanitarian protection.
At this stage, no end date has been set for the freeze. The administration says it will remain until further notice a decision that could reshape immigration policy and affect international perceptions of the U.S. as a destination for asylum-seekers, migrants and refugees.