Trump pauses immigration from 19 countries with existing travel bans

The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it would temporarily halt immigration from 19 countries that were already under full or partial travel restrictions.

The affected countries are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The immigration halt, effective immediately, applies to citizens of the 19 countries on the list who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021, the date of the inauguration of former president Joe Biden. Immigrants from one of the 19 countries who come to the United States after that date will undergo a re-review process that could include an interview to screen for all potential risks to national security and public safety.

It also affects all green card and citizenship applications for anyone who hails from one of the countries now banned. Individuals from one of the 19 countries who have already passed the citizenship test will not be able to hold U.S. citizenship ceremonies until after the directive is lifted.

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Attendees applaud during a citizenship recognition ceremony at City Hall in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday, August 5, 2025. (Jason Ardan/Citizens Voice via Getty Images)

Several Reddit users on the “r/USCIS” subreddit posted information about their swearing-in ceremonies being cancelled. One user, who claims to be from Portland, Oregon, said his wife’s naturalization ceremony, which was scheduled for December 3, has been cancelled. Many seemed unsure why the celebrations stopped, citing a lack of information.

A new US citizen holds the American flag and swears allegiance during a naturalization ceremony at George Washington’s Mount Vernon in Mount Vernon, Virginia, on Friday, July 4, 2025. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

A memo from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) outlining the new restrictions cited the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. The suspect in the case is Rahmanullah Lakkanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. He is charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder, one count of murder, and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

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Lakkanwal’s defense lawyer said at a hearing on Tuesday that his client had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace, Jake Gibson and Yasmine Baher contributed to this report.