U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has ordered an immediate, indefinite pause on all affirmative asylum decisions nationwide — instructing officers to continue interviews and case review but to halt entry of approvals, denials or closures — a step Director Joseph Edlow said was meant to “maximize vetting” after the Washington, D.C., National Guard shooting, whose suspect was reportedly granted asylum earlier this year. At the same time, internal memos and administration orders direct a broad reexamination of refugees admitted during the Biden era (including potential reinterviews and holds on certain green‑card adjudications) and a freeze on adjudications and naturalization ceremonies for nationals of 19 “countries of concern,” with officials saying those who threaten security could be subject to removal.