| |
Guard Shooting Leads to Restrictions 12/02 06:05
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Since last week's shooting of two National Guard members
in the nation's capital by a suspect who is an Afghan national, the Trump
administration announced a flurry of policies aimed at making it harder for
some foreigners to enter or stay in the country.
The administration said it was pausing asylum decisions, reexamining green
card applications for people from countries "of concern" and halting visas for
Afghans who assisted the U.S. war effort.
Days before the shooting, a memo obtained by The Associated Press said the
administration would review the cases of all refugees who entered the U.S.
during the Biden administration.
The stepped up effort to restrict immigration has been harshly criticized by
refugee advocates and those who work with Afghans, saying it amounts to
collective punishment. Critics are also saying it is a waste of government
resources to reopen cases that have already been processed.
The Trump administration says the new policies are necessary to ensure that
those entering the country -- or are already here -- do not pose a security
threat.
Here's a look at the major changes announced over roughly a week:
All asylum decisions suspended
The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow,
said on the social platform X last week that asylum decisions will be paused
"until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum
degree possible."
Besides the post, no formal guidance has been put forward, so details remain
scarce about the planned pause.
People seeking asylum must show to U.S. officials a threat of persecution if
they were sent back to their home country, whether because of race, nationality
or other grounds. If they're granted asylum, they're allowed to stay in the
U.S. and eventually apply for a green card and then citizenship.
The Afghan suspect in the National Guard shooting was granted asylum earlier
this year, according to advocate group #AfghanEvac.
The right to apply for asylum was already restricted by the Trump
administration. In January, President Donald Trump issued an executive order
essentially halting asylum for people who have come into the country through
the southern border. Those cases generally go through immigration courts which
are overseen by the Justice Department.
USCIS oversees the asylum process for foreigners the government isn't trying
to remove via immigration courts. While Trump's January order didn't affect
those cases, Edlow's social media post suggests they will now come under
additional scrutiny. Edlow did not say how long the agency's pause on asylum
decisions would last or what happens to people while those decisions are paused.
Caseloads have been rising for all types of asylum applications. USCIS said
there are currently 1.4 million pending asylum cases at the agency. Just a few
years ago, in 2022, it was 241,280, according to the Office of Homeland
Security Statistics. Separately there are about 2.4 million pending asylum
applications in front of the Justice Department's immigration courts.
A focus on countries 'of concern'
On Nov. 27, Edlow said his agency was conducting a "full scale, rigorous
reexamination" of every green card for people he said come from "every country
of concern."
"American safety is non negotiable," Edlow said.
The agency said in a press release that same day that it was issuing new
guidance that could make it tougher for people from 19 countries the
administration considers "high-risk," including Afghanistan, when they apply
for immigration benefits such as applying for green cards or to stay in the
U.S. longer.
The administration had already banned travel to the U.S. for citizens from
12 of those countries and restricted access for people from seven others.
No visas for Afghans
Other stricter stricter measures are also directed at Afghans.
On Nov. 26, USCIS said it would be suspending all "immigration requests
relating to Afghan nationals." That would affect Afghans already living in the
U.S. who are applying for green cards or work permits or permission to bring
family members to the U.S.
Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced late Friday on X that
the State Department has temporarily stopped issuing visas for all people
traveling on Afghan passports.
The Trump administration had already severely limited travel and immigration
from Afghanistan. The one avenue that had remained open was the Special
Immigrant Visa program. Created by Congress, it allowed Afghans who closely
supported the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan and faced retribution because of
their work to emigrate to America.
But the State Department's announcement means even that avenue is now closed.
According to #AfghanEvac, a group that advocates for Afghans coming to the
U.S., about 180,000 Afghans were in the process of applying for the SIV program.
A review of refugees admitted under the Biden administration
Even before the shooting of two National Guard members, the Trump
administration was planning a sweeping review of tens of thousands of
immigrants who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration as part of the
U.S. Refugee Assistance Program.
That program, first launched in 1980, oversees the process by which people
fleeing persecution can come to the U.S. Refugees are distinct from people
seeking asylum, although they meet the same criteria. Refugees have to apply
and wait outside the U.S. to be admitted while asylum-seekers do so once they
reach the U.S.
Trump suspended the refugee program the day he took office and only a
trickle of refugees have been admitted since then, either white South Africans
or people admitted as part of a lawsuit seeking to restart the refugee program.
Then on Nov. 21, Edlow said in a memo obtained by The Associated Press that
the administration was going to review all refugees admitted to the U.S. during
the Biden administration. That's nearly 200,000 refugees.
Advocates say refugees already undergo rigorous vetting.
Noem hints at updated travel ban
Late Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggested in a post on
X that more changes could be in the offing.
Noting that she had just met with Trump, Noem said she was recommending a
"full travel ban" on countries she said were flooding the U.S. "with killers,
leeches, and entitlement junkies."
Noem did not specifically name any countries and no timeline was given. The
Department of Homeland Security said in an email Monday, "We will be announcing
the list soon."
|
|
