The Department of Homeland Security has ordered an immediate adjudicative hold on all pending asylum applications and a sweeping national security review of immigration benefit requests filed by nationals of 19 “high-risk” countries, according to a newly released U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) policy memorandum issued December 2.
The policy—Memo PM-602-0192—directs USCIS personnel to:
- Place a hold on all pending Form I-589 asylum applications, regardless of nationality.
- Freeze all pending USCIS benefit requests filed by nationals of countries listed in Presidential Proclamation 10949, pending a “comprehensive re-review.”
- Re-review previously approved benefit requests for nationals of those same countries who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021.
The memo states the changes take effect “effective immediately.”
USCIS said the heightened scrutiny is intended to ensure all applicants are screened for “national security and public safety threats” and that interviews “shall not be waived under any circumstance” for affected applicants.
The 19 countries listed under PP 10949 are: Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
The memo emphasizes that each case will undergo an individualized, case-by-case review, potentially including interviews, re-interviews, and coordination with ICE or other law enforcement agencies.
Memo Follows Afghan Evacuee Shooting Case Highlighted by DX Reporting
As The Dallas Express previously reported, the fatal shooting of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, near the White House on November 26 has renewed scrutiny of vetting failures tied to the 2021 Operation Allies Welcome program.
Suspected gunman Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, entered the United States through that evacuation program, despite a 2022 DHS Office of Inspector General audit documenting widespread screening problems—including incomplete biographic data, missing birthdates, and lax identity verification for thousands of evacuees.
The DHS memo cites two Afghan evacuees—Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi and Lakanwal—as examples of threats that “underscore the importance of vigilance” in immigration screening.
Political Reaction: “A Step, But Not Enough”
Reaction to the policy shift was swift.
Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate Bo French told The Dallas Express he supports the administration’s action but argued it should go further.
“Since the Hart-Celler Act passed, we have allowed tens of millions of foreigners from Third World countries into the United States. We can now say definitively that these people for the most part have not assimilated, have brought their third world values with them, have increased the demand for housing, put pressure on our school districts, increased crime, increased corruption, increased fraud and made our country less American,” French said.
“While I applaud President Trump’s action, we need to stop immigration completely while we deport the roughly 100 million people who shouldn’t be in the United States in the first place.”
The Hart-Celler Act of 1965 abolished national-origin quotas and reshaped modern immigration by prioritizing family reunification and skills-based admissions, opening the U.S. to large-scale migration from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
