US orders pause to programs allowing temporary immigrant settlement

25/1/2025 12:30

U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials have ordered what amounts to a pause in several programs that allow immigrants to settle temporarily in the United States, the New York Times reported on Friday.



The directive demands an immediate end to "final decisions" on certain visa applications pending a review by the Trump administration about whether to cancel the programs permanently, the Times reported, citing an email sent by the top official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.



The programs offer possible entry for a large number of immigrants from an array of countries, including war-torn Ukraine and others dealing with political upheaval or extreme poverty.



President Donald Trump, on his first day in office on Monday, issued a series of executive orders intended to deter illegal immigration and position the U.S. to deport millions of immigrants without legal status.