New York, NY—Yesterday, the Trump administration issued an indefinite “hold” on all processing of immigration paperwork by immigrants from 19 countries that it placed under a travel ban in June 2025. These countries, which the administration has deemed of concern, include Afghanistan, Haiti, and Venezuela. The pause suspends green card applications and U.S. citizenship requests, prevents refugees and some others from getting or renewing work authorization, and additionally stops individuals from getting protection for torture and persecution by indefinitely pausing asylum applications. Every individual from each country will need an individual review of their case file to move forward. It also halts the completion of citizenship ceremonies for legal U.S. permanent residents from those 19 countries, delaying their path to becoming naturalized American citizens.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“An indefinite pause is a ban, plain and simple. The Trump administration is using the recent shooting in DC as a pretext for a dangerous escalation of its attacks on immigrants that are rooted in racism and xenophobia. Many of the immigrants affected by these policy changes have already undergone extensive vetting, often taking years, after having arrived in America seeking security, stability, and the opportunity to rebuild their lives. Their futures are now in chaos. People at every stage of the immigration process are already having their lives disrupted, including those who are just one ceremony away from becoming U.S. citizens. The actions are despicable and do nothing more than push our immigrant neighbors into the margins. We urge members of Congress to condemn the Trump administration’s actions and call on the Trump administration to reverse course."