U.S. suspends immigration applications from certain Ukrainian and Latin American migrants — CBS
The Trump administration has suspended the processing of all immigration applications submitted by migrants from Ukraine and Latin America who were allowed entry into the United States under specific programs during Joe Biden’s presidency, CBS News reported on Tuesday, citing two U.S. officials.
Application processing for these migrants has reportedly been frozen indefinitely while officials conduct fraud screenings and work to improve vetting procedures.
The suspension affects several Biden-era programs that allowed foreign nationals to stay in the U.S. temporarily on humanitarian grounds. One such program, Uniting for Ukraine, granted Ukrainians temporary entry if they had financial sponsors. Other impacted programs applied to individuals from Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, and Cuba who had family members in the U.S.
In January, the Trump administration halted the entry of new migrants under these temporary stay programs, including Uniting for Ukraine. However, some foreign nationals had already arrived in the U.S. and were awaiting permanent residency status.
Since many migrants admitted under these programs received only temporary work permits and two years of protection from deportation, some sought additional immigration benefits, legal experts told CBS. However, the Trump administration has now decided that Citizenship and Immigration Services will no longer process applications related to these programs — or any other benefits — if they were submitted by migrants admitted under Biden.
