WASHINGTON, D.C.: Citing concerns over national security and public safety, the U.S. government has paused all immigration applications, including green card and U.S. citizenship processing by immigrants from 19 non-European countries.

The pause applies to people from 19 countries, including Afghanistan and Somalia, that were already subjected to a partial travel ban in June, placing further restrictions on immigration.

The official memorandum cites the attack on U.S. National Guard members in Washington last week, in which an Afghan man was arrested as a suspect. One member of the National Guard was killed, and another critically wounded in the shooting.

Trump has also stepped up his rhetoric against Somalis in recent days, calling them "garbage" and saying "we don't want them in our country."

Trump has prioritized immigration enforcement since returning to office in January. He has sent federal agents to major U.S. cities and turned away asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. His administration has put less emphasis on reshaping legal immigration.

However, the flurry of promised restrictions since the attack on National Guard members suggests an increased focus on legal immigration framed around protecting national security. It has also blamed former President Joe Biden for his policies.

The list of countries targeted in the memorandum on December 3 includes Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, which were subjected to the most severe immigration restrictions in June, including a full suspension on entries with a few exceptions.

Others on the list of 19 countries that were subjected to partial restrictions in June are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

The new policy suspends pending applications and mandates that all immigrants from the listed countries "undergo a thorough re-review process, including a potential interview and, if necessary, a re-interview, to fully assess all national security and public safety threats."

Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the organization had received reports of cancelled oath ceremonies, naturalization interviews, and adjustment-of-status interviews for individuals from countries listed on the travel ban.