The Trump administration on Tuesday said it has paused all immigration applications from 19 non-European countries, blocking green card and U.S. citizenship processing for thousands of immigrants while citing national security and public safety concerns.

The move affects countries already facing partial travel bans imposed in June, expanding restrictions on immigration — a central focus of President Donald Trump’s political agenda.

The list includes Afghanistan and Somalia, both of which have drawn recent attention from Trump for security-related reasons and for rhetoric that has targeted their citizens.

An official memorandum announcing the new policy pointed to last week’s attack on U.S. National Guard members in Washington. An Afghan man has been arrested as a suspect in the shooting, which left one Guard member dead and another critically wounded.

Trump has amplified his criticism of Somalis, calling them “garbage” and declaring, “we don’t want them in our country,” comments that have drawn condemnation from civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups.

Since returning to the office in January, Trump has made immigration enforcement a top priority, dispatching federal agents to major cities, ramping up removals and turning away asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.

While the administration has trumpeted its deportation efforts, it has placed less emphasis until now on reshaping legal immigration channels.

But the wave of new restrictions since the National Guard attack signals a heightened focus on limiting legal pathways, framed as a response to national security threats and as criticism of President Joe Biden’s prior policies.

The memorandum issued Wednesday lists Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen as countries subjected to the toughest restrictions in June, including near-total bans on entry with limited exceptions.

Other countries on the 19-nation list, which faced partial restrictions earlier, include Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The new directive suspends pending applications and requires all affected immigrants to undergo a “thorough re-review process,” including possible interviews or re-interviews, to reassess any potential security risks.

The memorandum also cites several recent crimes in the United States allegedly involving immigrants, including the National Guard shooting.

Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, senior director of government relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the group has received reports of cancelled oath ceremonies, naturalization interviews and adjustment-of-status appointments for individuals from countries on the list.