Trump immigration application pause throws lives in limbo

Summary

Podcast Summary: Consider This from NPR

Episode: Trump immigration application pause throws lives in limbo

Date: May 1, 2026
Host: Scott Detrow
Reporters and Guests: Jimena Bustillo, “P” (Nigerian student, pseudonym), “A” (Myanmar immigrant, pseudonym), Isaac Nivez Gomez, Zachary New (immigration lawyer), US officials

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Overview

This episode delves into the profound real-world consequences of the Trump administration's ongoing pause on immigration applications from 39 countries, a policy announced in November 2025 following a shocking violent incident involving a recent Afghan asylum recipient. The reporting focuses on how this pause has upended the lives of hundreds of thousands of aspiring Americans—including students, professionals, and families—while rippling out into workplaces and communities.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origin and Rationale of the Immigration Pause

• Incident Triggering the Policy
  On November 26, 2025, Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was killed and Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe was injured by Rahmana Lockhinwal, an Afghan national granted asylum in the U.S.
  (01:26)

• Trump’s Announcement and Justification
  President Trump declared an immediate halt to asylum decisions and all immigration applications from nationals of Afghanistan and 38 other countries, citing national security risks.

  • Quote: “We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.” – President Trump (01:55)
  • The ban affects students, engineers, workers, and even people already residing legally in the U.S. (02:07)

2. Personal Stories of Impact

• "P," a Nigerian Graduate’s Ordeal

  • Came to the U.S. on a student visa in 2023, earning a master’s degree in engineering in Texas. (03:16)
  • Application for a work permit is now frozen due to his country’s inclusion in the ban list.
  • Quote: “I barely can pay rent, I barely can feed, I barely can pay bills. It is overwhelming and it’s sad.” – P (04:03)
  • Emotional and financial anxiety dominates his daily life as he checks application status obsessively. (03:41–04:19)

• "A," Clinical Trials Coordinator from Myanmar

  • Arrived in the U.S. in 2016; was up for a promotion and actively renewing her work permit and applying for a green card.
  • Quote: “When the pause hit, it hits really hard because I was actually in line for a promotion in July.” – A (05:42)
  • Now, her employment and leadership in the cancer center are at risk as her permit could expire in July. (05:51, 05:56)
  • She’s preparing colleagues for a possible abrupt departure. (06:15)

• US Citizens Impacted: Isaac Nivez Gomez’s Family

  • Isaac, a U.S. citizen, married his wife (originally from Venezuela, also a citizen of Italy and Uruguay) in 2025.
  • The ban immobilized their green card application.
  • Quote: “We can't have a family. I can't add her to health insurance. We can't plan ahead to buy a house … it's basically has limited our marriage just because of that Venezuelan birth.” – Isaac Nivez Gomez (06:56)
  • The pause has halted not only immigration status processing but basic aspects of family planning and stability. (06:43–07:14)

3. Wider Ripple Effects

• Professional and Economic Impacts

  • Hospitals, major companies, and universities are losing key staff, including residents in medicine and technical fields.
  • People are being removed from naturalization ceremonies, educational programs, and even lost placement in critical jobs. (04:47–05:14)

• Community and Legal Fallout

  • There’s widespread panic as people trying to “do things the right way” lose legal status, jobs, and their place in U.S. society.
  • Quote: “By suddenly not having an option for doing things the right way, folks are kind of panicking.” – Zachary New, immigration lawyer (05:05)
  • Multiple lawsuits have been filed (more than three dozen), but only limited relief has been granted so far—33 people had their applications processed by court order, with the remainder still in limbo. (07:45–08:05)
  • “People are losing jobs, people are losing placement in medical residency. People are losing status. And those things are not something that just goes away by processing starting again.” – Zachary New (08:18)

4. Government and Institutional Perspective

• USCIS Statement
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says the pause is necessary for vetting and security. (07:14)
• Congressional Response
  • Lawmakers questioned USCIS director Joseph Edlow about delays; he termed the hardships “short term pain” for “long term gain.”
  • Quote: “I consider this to be short term pain, which is going to really lead to long term gain in the fair and proper processing of immigration.” – Joseph Edlow (07:35)

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Memorable Quotes and Moments (with Timestamps)

• President Trump on new policy:
  “We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.” (01:55)

• P, Nigerian student:
  “This occupies me right now. Like I wake up in the morning. The first course of action is to go on my PC and check if there's been some change. And it just seems to take over me. Like all day.” (03:41)
  “I barely can pay rent, I barely can feed, I barely can pay bills. It is overwhelming and it's sad.” (04:03)

• A, clinical trials staff from Myanmar:
  “When the pause hit, it hits really hard because I was actually in line for a promotion in July.” (05:42)
  “I also handle the biggest team in the cancer center.” (06:15)

• Lawyer Zachary New:
  “These are all people who are trying to do things the right way. So by suddenly not having an option for doing things the right way, folks are kind of panicking.” (05:05)
  “People are losing jobs, people are losing placement in medical residency. People are losing status. And those things are not something that just goes away by processing starting again.” (08:18)

• Isaac Nivez Gomez (US citizen):
  “We can't have a family. I can't add her to health insurance. We can't plan ahead to buy a house … it's basically has limited our marriage just because of that Venezuelan birth.” (06:56)

• USCIS Director Joseph Edlow:
  “I consider this to be short term pain, which is going to really lead to long term gain in the fair and proper processing of immigration.” (07:35)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:14 – 02:07: Background on the DC shooting and Trump's immigration pause announcement
• 02:58 – 04:19: P’s personal story (Nigerian student stranded by the freeze)
• 04:47 – 05:14: Attorney Zachary New on job and residency placements lost
• 05:42 – 06:15: A’s story (Myanmarese worker fears losing her job and status)
• 06:43 – 07:14: US citizen Isaac Nivez Gomez on impact to his marriage and family
• 07:14 – 07:45: USCIS justification and Congressional scrutiny
• 07:45 – 08:29: Legal scramble, lawsuits, “irreparable damage” and future uncertainty

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Conclusion

This episode draws a stark picture of how immigration policy can create sudden, far-reaching upheaval in the lives of immigrants and U.S. citizens alike—affecting everything from businesses and hospitals to families and personal dreams. The government frames the issue as a matter of national security and procedural improvement, while those affected describe a daily life of anxiety, loss, and limbo. Lawsuits and pleas for action continue, but with little clarity on when, or if, the situation will improve.

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For more context and to support sponsor-free news, listeners are encouraged to explore Consider This+ at plus.npr.org/considerthis.

Transcript

[A]

Hey there, it's Scott Detrow. And I've got a quick special message before we start the podcast today about Public Media Giving Days. This national celebration is marked every year on May 1st and 2nd to honor the impact of public media on our lives and communities. And this is a big deal because consider this and everything else you love from NPR is public media, which means we are dedicated to informing everyone we're able to do so. Thank you to the support of the public we serve. And that is you. It's also listeners like Reba in Alabama, a recent NPR network donor who says my 20 something daughter and son got me hooked on this podcast. The news today is overwhelming, yet I need to stay informed. Please keep up the great work. Well, thank you, Reba, for listening and sending that nice note and also for your support. And you can be like Reba, you don't have to say nice things about us even, but you can make your gift through Public Media giving [e-mail] thank you for standing with us. Now back to the show. It's Consider this, where every day we go deep on one big news story today, the real life consequence of the Trump administration's aggressive immigration moves. This particular immigration policy began last year,

[B]

my great fellow Americans. Earlier today, on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, two members of the National Guard serving in Washington, D.C. were shot at point blank range in a.

[A]

That's President Trump speaking last November. On the afternoon of November 26, Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe were shot when on patrol a few blocks from the White House. Beckstrom later died of her injuries. Rahmana Lockhinwal, the man charged with the shooting, is an Afghan national. He worked with US Forces in Afghanistan and was and was granted asylum under the Trump administration. After the shooting, Trump announced a pause on asylum decisions and we must take

[B]

all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country. If they can't love our country, we don't want them.

[A]

The US Stopped reviewing immigration applications filed from people who were born in Afghanistan and 38 other countries. Five months later, the applications from the people in those countries are still in limbo. Consider this. The lives of hundreds of thousands of people hang in the balance. And for people already living in the U.S. the impact has been catastrophic. From NPR, I'm Scott Detrow. It's Consider this from npr. The Trump administration says its November pause of immigration applications from people in 39 countries is because of a national security risk. Many of Those affected are students, engineers, and others who are living and working here legally. NPR's Jimena Bustillo has the story.

[C]

P came to the U.S. on a student visa in 2023.

[D]

I told the consular officer that I had a lot to contribute to the United States and I was granted the visa. I came to the United States, and now it looks like it's a whole lot different.

[C]

P is originally from Nigeria. We're using his first initial because he's afraid his immigration application could be negatively impacted by speaking with npr. He graduated with a master's in engineering from a Texas university last December. But because he was born in Nigeria, one of the countries on the government's list, his application to have a work permit is on hold.

[D]

This occupies me right now. Like I wake up in the morning. The first course of action is to go on my PC and check if there's been some change. And it just seems to take over me. Like all day.

[C]

P was hoping to work in the oil and gas industry. Instead, he has been unable to have any job at all.

[D]

Basically, as it stands right now, I barely can pay rent, I barely can feed, I barely can pay bills. It is overwhelming and it's sad.

[C]

P is one of hundreds of thousands already at risk of losing status because they come from one of these countries the Trump administration has deemed a risk to national security. Last year, after an Afghan national was charged in the shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C. the Trump administration paused, reviewing any application filed from PP who were born in Afghanistan and 38 other countries. Zachary New is an immigration lawyer in Colorado.

[E]

So over the course of the last four months, where people have been losing status, losing work authorization, being pulled from naturalization oath ceremonies, medical residents who haven't been able to be placed, he is

[C]

on a lawsuit representing over 500 people in these situations.

[E]

These are all people who are trying to do things the right way. So by suddenly not having an option for doing things the right way, folks are kind of panicking.

[C]

NPR spoke with over a dozen people whose permissions to live and work in the US Are paused. Some are recent graduates. Others are recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program who came to the US as children. A lives in Ohio and is from Myanmar. She also spoke to NPR anonymously out of fear of repercussions for her applications. She came to the US in 2016 for her Bachelor's degree, and she was renewing her work permit and applying for a green card.

[F]

When the pause hit, it hits really hard because I was actually in line for a promotion in July.

[C]

Now both processes are paused and her work permit expires in July.

[F]

I work in regulatory compliance for cancer clinical trials. We've been trying to prepare for this by making sure that all my loose ends are tied up and transitioning studies to other people where we can. I know it's early, but I also handle the biggest team in the cancer center.

[C]

Lawyers warn that the effects of the pause won't just be felt by immigrants waiting on their visas, but major companies, hospitals and the firms they work for. US Citizens are also impacted. Isaac Nivez Gomez is a US Citizen. He and his wife are both from Venezuela. They got married last summer, and although his wife is also a citizen of Italy and Uruguay, Navez Gomez said it was an easy choice for them to live in America.

[G]

That was entirely on me. This is my country, you know. I have no allegiance to any other country besides the United States.

[C]

Since Venezuela is on the travel ban list, the process to petition his wife's green card is paused.

[G]

We can't have a family. I can't add her to health insurance. We can't plan ahead to buy a house because every mortgage company requests Social Security numbers and credit history, which she doesn't have. It's basically has limited our marriage just because of that Venezuelan birth.

[C]

U.S. citizenship and Immigration Services, which is the agency that reviews these applications, said in a statement to NPR that the pause is necessary while it vets and screens people who could be risks to the US Lawmakers questioned USCIS Director Joseph Edlow about general delays in reviewing applications during a recent congressional hearing. Here's how he responded.

[H]

I consider this to be short term pain, which is going to really lead to long term gain in the fair and proper processing of immigration.

[C]

But immigrants feeling that pain are pushing for faster answers. There are about three dozen pending lawsuits over the pause, according to New, the Colorado lawyer. In at least one lawsuit, a federal judge mandated USCIS review the applications of 33 individuals. The rest are still waiting.

[E]

These aren't individuals who are suddenly jumping into the shadow economy and trying to work without authorization.

[C]

New says that as more people lose status, the damage becomes harder to repair.

[E]

People are losing jobs, people are losing placement in medical residency. People are losing status. And those things are not something that just goes away by processing starting again.

[C]

And there's no sense of when or if the pause will lift. Ximena Bustillo, NPR News, Washington.

[A]

This episode was produced by Karen Zamora, Katherine Fink and Kai McNamee, with audio engineering by Peter Elena. It was edited by Anna Yukoninoff and Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun. Thank you to our Consider this Plus listeners who support the work of NPR journalists and help keep public radio strong. Supporters also hear every episode without messages from sponsors and unlock bonus episodes of Consider this. You can learn more at plus.NPR.org It's Consider this from NPR. I'm Scott Detrowed.