The United States Government has temporarily halted the processing of green card and citizenship applications filed by Nigerians and nationals of other countries newly added to the US travel ban.
The suspension affects legal immigration applications processed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and primarily targets immigrants from selected African and Asian countries.
Many of those affected are already lawfully residing in the United States and were seeking to adjust their immigration status or become U.S. citizens.
Earlier in December, the Trump administration directed USCIS to freeze all immigration petitions, including applications for permanent residency and citizenship, for nationals of 19 countries covered by the June travel ban.
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The decision followed the Thanksgiving week shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., an attack allegedly carried out by an Afghan national.
Following the incident, the administration also suspended decisions on asylum cases handled by USCIS and halted processing of all immigration and visa applications for Afghans.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump expanded the travel ban to include 20 additional countries, entirely barring entry from five nations and partially restricting travel from 15 others.
A US official, who spoke to CBS News on Friday on condition of anonymity, said USCIS has now extended the suspension of immigration cases to cover nationals of the newly added countries.
The full travel ban applies to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.
Countries facing partial restrictions include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
In June, Trump signedan executive order imposing a full travel ban on nationals of 12 countries. He also placed heightened restrictions on people from seven countries.
"Radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria, which creates substantial screening and vetting difficulties," the White House said, justifying Nigeria's addition to the list.
"According to the Overstay Report, Nigeria had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 11.90 percent."
A US official, who requested anonymity, told CBS News that the US has expanded its suspension of immigration cases to include the new nationalities added to Trump's proclamation on Tuesday.
Many of those affected by the pause are likely legal immigrants currently in the US seeking to change their status or become citizens.
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Reacting to the development, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow wrote on social media late Thursday: "USCIS is conducting a comprehensive review of anyone from anywhere who poses a threat to the US, including those identified in the president's latest proclamation to restore law and order in our nation's immigration system."
Overall, Trump's expanded travel ban now affects nationals from more than 60 percent of African countries and roughly 20 percent of countries worldwide.
