U.S. immigration authorities have frozen the processing of all immigration-related applications from citizens of 19 countries previously flagged in the Trump administration’s travel ban. This is following an escalation that follows President Donald Trump’s recent pledge to “permanently pause migration” from what he termed “Third World countries.”

The order imposed a near-total entry ban on people from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. It also implemented partial restrictions on visitors and immigrants from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

Accoridng to a report by Forbes, the action was announced late Tuesday in a notification issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The issued circular states the agency has placed an immediate hold on all immigration “benefit applications” involving nationals from the designated countries while a sweeping national security review is conducted.

These benefits include the full range of immigration decisions from long-pending Green Card requests to citizenship naturalizations and work authorization renewals.

Crucially, the freeze does not just apply to people seeking to enter the United States, but also immigrants from those countries who are already living legally in the U.S. and are awaiting adjudication of their immigration status.

The 19 nations affected are the same ones subjected to Trump’s June executive order restricting entry to the U.S. due to asserted national security and public safety risks.

The latest pause adds another significant layer to those existing barriers reaching deep into the immigration pipeline.

As part of the expanded review announced Tuesday, USCIS said it will also re-examine immigration benefit approvals granted to nationals of these countries who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration, according to Forbes report.

The agency cited unspecified “identified concerns” and potential threats to the American public as justification.

“USCIS has determined that a comprehensive re-review, potential interview, and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021, is necessary,” the circular stated.

Immigration advocates warn that the freeze could leave entire communities in limbo many of whom have lived in the U.S. for years, built families, or fled conflict and instability in the very countries now labeled “high risk.”

The decision represents a dramatic tightening of the immigration system, aligning with Trump’s campaign-trail promises to restore and expand the restrictive immigration framework he implemented during his first term.