This move comes a week after an attack in Washington in which two National Guard soldiers were killed.

The immigration agency USCIS had already halted all asylum procedures last Friday. The agency’s director, Joseph Edlow, said the decision was driven by the need for much more rigorous screening of foreign nationals.

Some of the countries now facing suspended immigration applications were already on the list of nations subject to travel restrictions under former President Trump.

The affected countries include: Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, Sierra Leone, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Burundi, Yemen, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Laos.

This decision comes as U.S. President Donald Trump once again intensified his criticism of the Somali community in Minnesota, stating that he does not want immigrants coming from East Africa. He claimed they do not contribute positively to the country.

There are growing fears that an operation targeting undocumented immigrants will soon begin in the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, focusing on individuals without legal status.

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