The change means that people from 19 countries will have their asylum and visa applications put on hold until further notice.
The countries in question are described as so-called "high-risk countries." These include Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Sudan and Cuba, all of which were subject to entry bans earlier this year.
Tuesday's action means that citizens from countries already in the United States could also be affected. All "approved benefit applications" for immigrants who came to the United States during the Biden administration will now undergo extensive review, the immigration agency USCIS announced.
The agency is referring to the shooting near the White House last week, where an Afghan man is on trial for killing a National Guardsman and wounding another.
According to critics, the US measures constitute collective punishment.
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