The Trump administration has ordered an immediate pause on all immigration applications filed by people from several countries following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., last week.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency that processes and approves requests for immigration benefits, shared the policy update in a memo on Dec. 2.

This decision expands on the president’s June order , which barred the entry of citizens from 12 countries. The new policy effectively freezes all pending immigration applications for a total of 19 countries that the Trump administration considers “high risk” for national security.

The freeze applies to a broad range of benefits, including applications for green cards and naturalization, for nationals o

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