The Trump administration has paused the processing of certain green card applications as the US government continues to implement a hardline immigration agenda.
CBS News reported that approved refugees are part of the processing freeze, as the White House enacts an effort to more aggressively vet immigrants to the US.
The move is likely to leave some immigrants granted refuge in the US in limbo, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claiming the pause is necessary to carry out two executive actions on immigration signed by Donald Trump.
“USCIS [United States Citizenship and Immigration Services] 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 Trump’s orders, DHS told CBS News.
Adjustment of status is the process by which individuals can apply to become a lawful permanent resident, or green-card holder, in the US.
The DHS cited a presidential action issued by Trump in January, which ordered the federal government to ensure people seeking admission to the US “are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible”.
It comes as a federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday blocked immigration officials from detaining Yunseo Chung, a Columbia University student and legal permanent resident the Trump administration is trying to deport for taking part in Gaza solidarity protests.
Chung, 21, has lived in the US since she was seven years old. She filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, arguing the government was “attempting to use immigration enforcement as a bludgeon to suppress speech that they dislike”.
Chung’s case has echoes of the ongoing detention of Mahmoud Khalil, the Palestinian activist and green-card holder who took part in protests at Columbia, and experts told the Guardian that there was evidence that people of color are being targeted for deportation.
At least five students and academics of color who participated in protests in support of Palestine at US universities have been targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as a part of the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on Palestinian support.
“What we’re seeing is the use of immigration law to go after visa holders, permanent lawful residents, [over] their speech,” Samah Sisay, a staff attorney at the Center for Constitutional Rights, told the Guardian this week. “[Trump is] trying to suppress political speech that goes against what the administration wants.”
