The United States on Wednesday imposed an immediatesuspension on immigration requests from citizens of 19 countries, reinstatingcore elements of President Donald Trump’s earlier immigration framework andwidening restrictions introduced this year.
The directive instructs officers to re-screen allpending and new applications through fresh interviews, updated biometricchecks, and expanded background investigations, a process officials arguerestores vetting thresholds they believe weakened under President Joe Biden.
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The suspension accelerated after a deadly shootingnear the White House involving Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghannational admitted in 2021 through the post-withdrawal evacuation program, whosecase Trump used to argue that the current vetting system requires urgentcorrection after one soldier was killed and another critically wounded.
On November 29, the administration escalated theoverhaul by invalidating immigration documents approved with autopen signatures— a mechanical device commonly used in US federal offices — asserting that suchsignatures lacked proper authorization, while the White House countered thatthe practice remains fully legal and widely used for high-volumecertifications.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow conveyed that processingwill resume only after the agency confirms that “every alien is vetted andscreened to the maximum degree possible,” framing the suspension as part of abroader restructuring of the immigration system.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt arguedthat Lakanwal’s admission exposed structural weaknesses in the evacuationprogram and noted that removal operations are being prepared for individualsadmitted after August 2021 who may no longer meet updated eligibilitystandards.
The White House confirmed that internal reviews areunderway to identify individuals flagged as potential security threats andemphasized that removals will proceed “to the fullest extent of the law” onceassessments conclude, anchoring the policy shift in legal and administrativeprecedents established between 2017 and 2021.
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