Donald Trump

Northwestern University has reached a sweeping agreement with the federal government that lifts a freeze on hundreds of millions of dollars in research funding. The U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Education, and Department of Health and Human Services jointly announced Friday that Northwestern will pay $75 million to the Treasury through 2028 in exchange for regaining access to nearly $790 million in previously frozen funds, according to Newsweek.

Federal officials said the settlement

Officials said the freeze took effect immediately and is being implemented across all affected offices.

The administration has also directed a review of all green cards issued to individuals from the 19 countries covered under the travel ban, including Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Libya, and Yemen.

The review will examine past issuances under the Biden administration to ensure full compliance with current national security standards. U.S. officials have not said how many cases will be reexamined or how long the process will take, but the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that new guidance for handling “discretionary benefits” is being prepared.

Separately, asylum officers have been instructed to pause all pending affirmative asylum decisions nationwide until new vetting procedures are finalized. Defensive asylum cases in immigration court are not affected by the pause, but it effectively halts new asylum approvals by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, President Trump announced his intention to “permanently pause migration from third-world countries,” emphasizing the need for a merit-based immigration system that prioritizes skills and self-sufficiency over extended family sponsorships and random visa lotteries.

The White House has not yet released a timetable for implementation, but senior officials said the measure would build on Trump’s earlier June 4 order tightening entry standards for 19 countries deemed “high-risk