KABUL: The Donald Trump administration has stopped processing refugee applications for citizens from 19 countries, The New York Times reported news early today.
According to the report, the countries affected by the suspension of refugee case reviews include Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Cuba, Venezuela, and ten other nations for which Trump’s administration had announced a ban on entry to the U.S. in June of this year.
Officials from the U.S. Citizenship Services (USCIS) stated that this suspension also includes reviews of “green cards” and U.S. citizenship applications.
The action by the Trump administration has been interpreted as an effort to deepen the broad crackdown on immigration to the U.S., following the attack by Rahmanullah Lakanwal on two members of the National Guard near the White House.
Matthew Traeger, a spokesperson for USCIS, stated: “The Trump administration is making every effort to ensure that those who gain citizenship are the best of the best. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right. We do not accept risks when the future of our country is at stake.”
Meanwhile, some U.S. lawmakers have argued that the Trump administration should not place the blame for Rahmanullah Lakanwal’s actions on all Afghan citizens.
Trump administration halts refugee applications for citizens of 19 countries
