WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — The U.S. government has expanded a sweeping pause on legal immigration applications to include people from 20 additional countries added this week to President Donald Trump’s travel ban proclamation. The move marks a major escalation in the administration’s immigration crackdown and affects thousands of people seeking legal status in the United States.

A U.S. official with direct knowledge of the decision confirmed Thursday that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, has extended its suspension of immigration case processing to the newly listed countries. The changes have not yet been formally announced by the agency.

The expanded pause blocks the processing of most immigration petitions. These include applications for green cards, citizenship, and other legal status changes. Many of those affected already live in the United States and entered legally.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration ordered USCIS to freeze all immigration petitions filed by nationals of 19 countries covered under the original travel ban issued in June. That policy followed a Thanksgiving week shooting in Washington, D.C., that killed two National Guard soldiers. Authorities said an Afghan national carried out the attack. After the shooting, the administration also halted asylum decisions handled by USCIS and stopped the processing of immigration and visa requests from Afghan nationals.

This week, President Trump expanded the travel ban to include 20 more countries. Five nations now face a full ban on immigration and travel to the United States. These are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.

Another 15 countries face partial entry restrictions. They include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Under the new directive, USCIS will suspend immigration cases involving nationals from all these countries. The pause applies even if applicants are already living in the U.S.

Before the latest expansion, the immigration freeze applied to nationals of Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Laos, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Yemen, and Venezuela. In the latest proclamation, the administration imposed full entry bans on citizens of Laos and Sierra Leone. Those countries had previously faced only partial restrictions.

Taken together, the updated travel ban affects nationals from more than 60% of African countries. It also covers roughly 20% of all countries worldwide. Immigration advocates say the scale of the policy makes it one of the broadest restrictions on legal immigration in modern U.S. history. The suspension affects people across many visa categories. It includes family-based immigrants, employment-based applicants, and those seeking permanent residency or naturalization.

The Trump administration says the travel ban and immigration pause aim to protect national security. Officials argue that some countries lack reliable systems to share background data. They say that makes it harder for the U.S. to properly vet applicants. In a social media post late Thursday, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow appeared to confirm the expansion.

“USCIS is conducting a comprehensive review of anyone from anywhere who poses a threat to the U.S.,” Edlow wrote. He said the agency is acting under the president’s latest proclamation to restore law and order in the immigration system.

Critics strongly oppose the policy. They argue the travel ban unfairly targets countries in Africa and Asia. Many say the measures discriminate based on nationality rather than individual risk. Immigration lawyers warn that the pause creates uncertainty for families and workers. Some applicants have waited years for decisions. The freeze leaves them in legal limbo, unable to plan their future. Advocacy groups also question the lack of transparency. USCIS has not issued public guidance explaining how long the suspension will last or whether exceptions will apply.

The administration has not said when USCIS will resume processing affected cases. Legal challenges could follow, as they did with earlier versions of the travel ban. For now, the expanded immigration pause stands. It signals that the Trump administration plans to continue using broad executive authority to reshape U.S. immigration policy, with lasting effects for immigrants across the globe.