The United States Government has announced a temporary halt on the processing of green card and citizenship applications for Nigerians and nationals from several countries recently added to a travel ban. This significant development, reported by CBS News, affects legal immigration applications managed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and predominantly targets immigrants from specific African and Asian nations.
Many individuals impacted by this suspension are already residing legally in the United States and were in the process of adjusting their immigration status or seeking citizenship. Earlier this month, the Trump administration directed USCIS to freeze all immigration petitions, including those for permanent residency and citizenship, from nationals of 19 countries impacted by a previously announced travel ban in June.
This policy shift follows a violent incident involving two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., allegedly connected to an Afghan national. In response, the administration not only halted immigration petitions but also suspended decisions on asylum cases handled by USCIS and ceased all immigration and visa applications from Afghans.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump expanded the travel ban to include an additional 20 countries. This expansion fully bars entry from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, while imposing partial travel restrictions on 15 others, including Nigeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
A U.S. official, speaking to CBS News on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the suspension of immigration cases now extends to nationals from these newly included countries. This policy change raises significant concerns among immigrant communities regarding their rights and the complications they face in navigating the U.S. immigration system.
As the Trump administration continues to modify its immigration policies, critics argue that such unilateral actions further exacerbate the challenges faced by vulnerable populations, leaving many individuals grappling with an increasingly uncertain future in the United States.
