The Trump administration on Friday announced a halt to all asylum decisions after this week’s shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said asylum decisions are being suspended “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”
The move follows President Donald Trump’s Thursday statement that he would “permanently pause migration” from some countries, which he said would include “Third World Countries,” though he did not specify which nations would be affected.
Separately, the State Department has “immediately” paused issuing visas to travelers holding Afghan passports. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that “President Trump’s State Department has paused visa issuance for ALL individuals traveling on Afghan passports. The United States has no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people.”
In June, Trump issued a proclamation barring travel to the U.S. from 12 countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, and imposed travel restrictions on several others. On Thursday he outlined a series of further immigration actions, including ending certain admissions, cutting federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens, denaturalizing migrants he said undermine domestic tranquility, and deporting foreigners deemed public charges, security risks, or “non-compatible with Western Civilization,” though details on implementation were not provided.
Authorities say the suspect in Wednesday’s attack, which killed one National Guard member and left another critically wounded, is 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal. Officials say Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 during the Biden administration and was granted asylum in April 2025 under Trump, according to law enforcement sources.
Sources familiar with the investigation say the suspect previously worked in Afghanistan with a unit known as the Zero Unit and had close ties to U.S. intelligence operations, including the CIA and the Joint Special Operations Command. He was described as a trusted member of that team, which targeted U.S. counterterrorism objectives.
Trump vowed an immigration crackdown after the shooting, calling the attack “the greatest national security threat facing our nation.” Democrats and immigration advocates have criticized the administration’s restrictions on asylum seekers and other migrants, arguing that national security concerns have been overstated and that millions of families in need have been turned away.
Earlier this year, Trump ordered National Guard troops to Washington and has also deployed Guard members to other Democratic-led cities such as Chicago and Portland, Oregon.
