The United States has suspended citizenship ceremonies and halted the processing of all immigration applications linked to 19 countries currently under a White House travel ban, according to an internal memo obtained.
The directive orders immigration officers to “stop final adjudication on all cases” involving applicants from the affected nations, pausing naturalisation ceremonies for migrants who were days away from becoming US citizens. The move follows reports that President Donald Trump is considering expanding his June travel restrictions from 19 countries to 30.
It marks the latest escalation in immigration controls after last week’s shooting in Washington DC that left one National Guard soldier dead and another critically injured. The suspect, an Afghan national living in the US, had entered the country under a special programme for Afghans who worked with American forces before the Taliban’s return to power.
The 19 countries primarily in Africa, the Middle East and the Caribbean were identified for full or partial immigration restrictions on 4 June. On Tuesday, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) extended the freeze to every stage of immigration processing for applicants from these nations.
The memo states: “This hold includes all form types and making any final decisions (approvals, denials) as well as completing any oath ceremonies.”
USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser confirmed the pause to the New York Times, saying: “The Trump administration is making every effort to ensure individuals becoming citizens are the best of the best. Citizenship is a privilege, not a right.”
Immigration lawyers said that clients from Venezuela, Iran and Afghanistan had their long-scheduled naturalisation interviews suddenly cancelled this week. A citizenship ceremony typically marks the end of a years-long process, where applicants take an oath of allegiance and formally become American citizens.
The White House has increasingly framed migrants and refugees as contributors to what President Trump calls the country’s “social dysfunction.” Following the deadly shooting, the administration has intensified scrutiny of asylum seekers and ordered a review of green cards previously issued to migrants from travel-ban countries.
As the policy shift ripples across immigration offices nationwide, thousands of applicants now face indefinite delays in their efforts to complete the final steps of becoming US citizens.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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