Trump administration quietly halts some green card applications as part of rigorous new vetting system
The Trump administration has quietly begun halting some green card applications as part of a rigorous new vetting system.
The Trump administration has quietly begun halting some green card applications as part of a rigorous new vetting system.
US Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) has implemented new restrictions in compliance with Trumps executive orders to suspend processing of requests for legal permanent residency for immigrants granted refugee or asylum status, CBS News reports.
The Department of Homeland Security said the green card processing pause was necessary to comply with two executive actions issued by the president.
USCIS is placing a temporary pause on finalizing certain Adjustment of Status applications pending the completion of additional screening and vetting to identify potential fraud, public safety, or national security concerns, in alignment with Mr. Trumps executive actions, the statement said.
According to a presidential proclamation cited by officials, Donald Trump has instructed federal agencies to vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted, enter, or are already inside the United States.
The administrations tightening of restrictions on immigration policies and procedures are the latest attempts to tackle concerns of national security and fraud.
The move comes after Trump questioned the immigration vetting procedures under the Biden administration.
US Citizen and Immigration Services has implemented new restrictions in compliance with Trumps executive orders to suspend processing of requests for legal permanent residency for immigrants granted refugee or asylum status
A statement from the Department of Homeland Security said the pause on processing some green cards was necessary to comply with two executive actions issued by the president
A US Customs and Border police officer stands guard at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in 2020
In another stringent move on immigration, the administration announced Friday that the temporary status of 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans will also be revoked.
The order applies to about 532,000 people from the four countries who came to the United States since October 2022 under a program called CHNV that the Biden administration was heavily criticized for.
Uncertainty still remains for some 240,000 Ukrainians who sought refuge in the US following the Russian invasion in 2021.
Trump was said to be considering ending their legal status even before recent tensions between Washington and Kyiv.
The migrants losing legal status arrived with financial sponsors and were given two-year permits to live and work in the US.
Department of Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem said they will lose their legal status on April 24, or 30 days after the publication of the notice in the Federal Register.
The new policy impacts people who are already in the US and who came under the humanitarian parole program. The decision has already been challenged in federal courts.
To more rigorously scrutinize immigrants applying for citizenship status, green cards and asylum, administration officials have also announced plans to review their social media accounts.
According to a presidential proclamation cited by officials, Trump instructed federal agencies to vet and screen to the maximum degree possible all aliens who intend to be admitted, enter, or are already inside the United States
The increased restrictions on immigration applications come as countries have begun issuing travel warnings for the US after Customs and Border Patrol have detained a number of tourists
USCIS said assessing social media accounts is required for the enhanced identity verification, vetting and national security screening, CBS reported.
While the review process of an applicants social media is not a new procedure, under new scrutiny applicants would be required to submit their social media accounts, or handles, to the government for review.
The increased restrictions on immigration applications come as countries have begun issuing travel warnings for the US after Customs and Border Patrol have detained a number of tourists.
US border officials have been using more aggressive methods with holidaymakers and legal immigrations, with the administrations enhanced vetting.
Britains foreign office issued revised advice for UK citizens travelling to the US to include a warning that anyone found breaking its rules may be liable to arrest or detention.
After a French scientist was denied entry after officials discovered hateful messages criticizing the president on his phone, suspicion has led many to believe those expressing anti-Trump views may be more likely to be turned away.
The suspicions come as a British artist Becky Burke, 28, was handcuffed and detained in Washington after being classed as an illegal alien.
Burke had attempted to cross the border into Canada with an incorrect visa on February 26, US authorities said.
Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Tricia Mclaughlin told the New York Times: The Trump administration is enforcing immigration laws - something the previous administration failed to do. Those who violate these laws will be processed, detained and removed as required
Becky Burke, 28, was handcuffed and taken to a detention cell in Tacoma, Washington, on February 26 and is now back in the UK
Last week, a French space researcher was subject to a random airport search on his way to a conference in Houston.
Messages which conveyed a hatred toward Trump and could be considered terrorism were found on the researchers phone.
The French minister of higher education and research, Phillippe Baptiste, condemned US authorities for taking action over a personal opinion.
The FBI later informed the academic that they had opened an investigation into the matter, but the agency later dropped charges.
After being rejected on March 9, he was sent back to Europe the following day, with authorities confiscating his personal and professional equipment.
Homeland Security Department spokeswoman Tricia Mclaughlin told the New York Times: The Trump administration is enforcing immigration laws - something the previous administration failed to do. Those who violate these laws will be processed, detained and removed as required.
While US customs officials are allowed to stop and search all people attempting to enter the country, customs agents are not allowed to search people or conduct inspections based on your religion, race, national origin, gender, ethnicity or political beliefs.
Canadian actress Jasmine Mooney was also detained by ICE, in her case for nearly two weeks.
American Pie actress Jasmine Mooney was also detained by ICE for nearly two weeks
The 35-year-old had been denied entry into the US while trying to make her way from Mexico to San Diego, California after her work visa was revoked back in November while traveling from Vancouver to Los Angeles.
The American Pie: The Book of Love star landed back on Canadian soil on Saturday as her mother, Alexis Eagles, and friends met her at Vancouver International Airport around midnight.
According to her mother, whos been fighting for her daughters return home, Mooney was detained at the San Ysidro border crossing before being transferred to San Luis Regional Detention Center in Arizona.
She was loaded into a prisoner van, she said, and put in chains by border officials. Thats when I realized they are onboarding me into a real prison, she said.
While she was there, Mooney said she endured some of the harshest treatment there that left her weak and confused.
After being arrested and taken to the detention center, Mooney was featured in an emotional interview with ABC10, where she sobbed describing the conditions she and other women faced.
Ive never seen anything like this, she told the outlet. I feel like we have been kidnapped, and we are in some sort of insane social, psychological, social experiment.
Tearing up, Mooney added: I really want to be a voice for the women in here, because what is happening is so unjust and I know that theres a better way to do this.
She also noted how her time in custody made her severely confused.
Its been 11 days now, and I have no idea what is going on, they dont tell you anything, and I have lost so much weight. Im truly, physically, weak.
The rise in tourists being detained was green-lighted by Trump as part of his Securing Our Borders executive order signed in hours after the inauguration.