US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) resumes asylum claims after halt

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WASHINGTON: The Trump administration will resume processing some asylum applications ​after it halted all such claims ‌following the shooting of two National Guard members by an asylum seeker, U.S. Citizenship and ​Immigration Services ( USCIS) said.“USCIS has ​lifted the adjudicative hold for thoroughly ⁠screened asylum seekers from non-high-risk countries,” ​an agency spokesperson said, adding that maximum ​screening and vetting for immigrants will continue.USCIS did not say which countries were considered “non-high-risk.”Washington’s halt of ​asylum proceedings in November came after ​the Trump administration blamed Biden-era vetting failures for the ‌admission ⁠of an Afghan immigrant accused of shooting the National Guard members – one of whom later died.The suspended services were part of an ​immigration crackdown ordered ​by ⁠President Donald Trump in response to the attack.The Trump administration was ​already carrying out an aggressive immigration ​campaign ⁠before the shooting. In July, the U.S. imposed a travel ban on citizens from ⁠12 ​countries. That ban was ​expanded after the shooting to include seven more countries.