This is fucked up.
That pause includes the completion of citizenship ceremonies for legal U.S. permanent residents from the list of 19 countries who were on the cusp of becoming naturalized American citizens, the USCIS document said. https://t.co/QOwrLHcKD1
— Rachel Bitecofer 🗽🦆 (@RachelBitecofer) December 3, 2025
The Donald Trump administration has halted immigration applications from 19 countries already facing U.S. travel bans, citing a need for heightened security screenings. This move, announced by USCIS and reported by NBC, impacts both green card and citizenship applicants.
The pause affects countries like Afghanistan, Iran, and Venezuela. It follows a recent National Guard shooting in Washington, DC, involving an Afghan national. Officials, including DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, emphasize national security concerns and improved vetting processes.
USCIS says it will use this pause to conduct a “comprehensive re-review, potential interview, and re-interview of all aliens from [the 19 travel ban countries] who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021,” or even outside that timeframe “when appropriate.”
Full List of the 19 Countries
1. Afghanistan
2. Burma
3. Chad
4. Congo
5. Equatorial Guinea
6. Eritrea
7. Haiti
8. Iran
9. Libya
10. Somalia
11. Sudan
12. Yemen
13. Burundi
14. Cuba
15. Laos
16. Sierra Leone
17. Togo
18. Turkmenistan
19. Venezuela