برای خواندن این مطلب به فارسی اینجا را کلیک کنید
The Trump administration has announced major steps against nationals from Iran and 18 other countries as well as a total pause on the processing of all asylum claims in the wake of the tragic shooting of two members of the U.S. National Guard in Washington, DC last week. These actions are clearly driven by bias against individuals based on their national origin and disconnected from any concrete security needs. As a result, we expect that they will be challenged in the courts. However, they are already beginning to impact Iranian nationals and others.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal immigration agency, has published a memo outlining these actions. They include:
The administration has paused all immigration applications, including green card and U.S. citizenship applications, filed by individuals from 19 countries subject to the travel ban. According to the USCIS memo, the administration has enacted an indefinite “hold on pending benefit requests” from nationals of countries subject to the travel ban announced in June 2025 (Presidential Proclamation 10949), “pending a comprehensive review, regardless of entry date.” Initial complaints from community members indicate that various appointments, including for citizenship interviews, have been canceled. The USCIS memo details that processing of the following forms is paused until further notice:
- Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status);
- Form I-90 (Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card (Green Card);
- Form N-470 (Application to Preserve Residence for Naturalization Purposes);
- Form I-751, (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence); and
- Form I-131 (Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records).
USCIS will conduct “a full scale, rigorous re-examination” of approved immigration benefits, including green cards, for “every alien from every country of concern,” including Iran, who entered the U.S. on or after January 20, 2021. The USCIS memo says they will “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 along with any other related grounds of inadmissibility or ineligibility.” USCIS indicates that the screening process will be to identify any individuals known to be in the Terrorist Screening Dataset (TSDS) as a Known or Suspected Terrorist (KST). While this would be an expected criteria under any review, the memo goes beyond this and suggests it will seek to identify any individuals “unable to establish their identity as outlined in Presidential Proclamation 10949 (the Travel Ban).” This provision is deeply alarming, given the administration claims that Iran and the 18 other targeted nations are deficient in vetting and screening standards, which could potentially be the basis for claiming retroactively that a person’s identity cannot be established. It is uncertain what criteria the administration will ultimately use to determine who may be unable to establish their identity.
USCIS will identify a list for re-interview within 90 days and refer them to ICE and other law enforcement agencies, stating “Within 90 days of issuance of this memorandum, USCIS will prioritize a list for review, interview, re-interview, and referral to ICE and other law enforcement agencies as appropriate, and, in consultation with the Office of Policy and Strategy and the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, issue operational guidance.”
USCIS has also stated that its officers are now allowed to consider country-specific factors as significant negative factors when reviewing immigration requests of nationals from 19 supposedly high-risk countries, including Iran.
Everyone in the United States, from those undocumented to U.S. citizens, has rights. While these mounting changes are considerable and may put individuals in jeopardy, they can also be challenged.
National Immigration Law Center has developed a robust guide for legal permanent residents (green card holders) that details what steps could put individuals at heightened risk for targeting. In particular, past criminal history or certain political commentaries could heighten risk of targeting. We urge Iranian legal permanent residents to review this guide and consider the recommended steps, as appropriate.
This is a fast-developing situation and we will update as soon as possible to keep you informed. Visit our Travel Ban and Immigrant Justice Center for more updates and legal resources.
We are exploring the possibility of litigation to challenge this order, or aspects of it. If you think you may be among those targeted by the order, we urge you to fill out the following secure link, which will be kept completely confidential: Immigration Intake Form