In a joint statement, the congressmen reacted to the immigration pause ordered by the Trump administration and demanded that legitimate asylum requests be resolved “without unnecessary delays.”
MADRID, Spain.- Hours after the Administration of President Donald Trump will order an immediate pause of all the immigration procedures of citizens of 19 countries considered of “concern”, including Cubans, congressmen Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26) and Carlos A. Giménez (FL-28) issued a joint declaration in which they stated that they advocate “for a process that combines rigor and speed, so that people with legitimate asylum requests have the opportunity for their cases to receive, without unnecessary delays, a fair and expeditious resolution.””.
In the statement, both legislators criticized the immigration management of the previous administration, which they blame for what they describe as a national security crisis. As they expressed, “the Biden administration’s reckless abandonment of border security and its systemic failure to rigorously verify nearly 10 million people represented a betrayal of national security and a direct threat to American lives.”
Díaz-Balart and Giménez recalled that, for four years, they repeatedly warned about the consequences of “open border policies” and the absence of a robust verification system. However, their warnings “were ignored,” which led, they say, to a scene of chaos on the southern border and vulnerabilities exploited by hostile actors.
Among the cases that stand out are the entry into the country of more than 300 individuals designated as terrorists and criminal episodes that could have been avoided. The congressmen mention the murders of Laken Riley in Georgia and Jocelyn Nungaray in Texas, as well as the frustrated attack on Election Day 2024, attributed to Afghan citizen Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi. They also cited the murder of a member of the National Guard in Washington DC, allegedly at the hands of Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
Another reference in the statement points to the case of Cuban pilot Luis Raúl González-Pardo Rodríguezwhich “fraudulently exploited the US immigration system.”
On the other hand, the congressmen praised the work of President Trump, who they said “is protecting national security by restoring order at the border, enforcing the rule of law and strengthening verification processes.” In his assessment, that leadership “is saving American lives.”
The statement concludes by reaffirming the commitment of both legislators to promote definitive immigration reform. They argue that the United States needs a system that combines strict controls with efficiency, allowing those who make legitimate asylum claims access to quick and fair decisions.
The reaction of the legislators came after the disclosure of an internal memo from USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that stopped the processing of applications for permanent residence, card replacements, naturalizations, travel permits and any pending immigration procedures. According to the US Government, this suspension is part of a reinforcement of immigration filters applied to countries classified as unstable or with a history of terrorism. USCIS maintained that it plays a key role in preventing dangerous actors from using the US immigration system, prioritizing national security in its verification processes.
The 19 countries included in the measure – already subject to previous restrictions since Proclamation 10949 of June 2025 – are: Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. In the case of Cuba, the inclusion is based on its designation as a “State sponsor of terrorism” and its refusal to cooperate on security matters. The suspension will mean indefinite delays while authorities complete the new evaluations required by the memorandum.
