The United States has halted all asylum decisions nationwide, a sweeping move announced Friday by the Trump administration in the wake of a deadly shooting near the White House that claimed the life of a National Guard member and left another in critical condition.
The attack, which occurred Wednesday in downtown Washington, has fused three volatile political flashpoints: the president’s controversial deployment of troops for domestic law enforcement, ongoing immigration debates, and the unresolved fallout from America’s 20-year war in Afghanistan.
Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), stated on X that the agency has paused all approvals, denials, or closures of asylum applications “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”
This comes after President Donald Trump, in a late Thursday social media post, vowed to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover.” The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarified that the restriction targets a list of 19 countries already under partial travel bans since June 2025, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Myanmar, Chad, Sudan, and Somalia.
Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced an immediate suspension of all visa issuances for Afghan passport holders, emphasizing, “The United States has no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people.”
The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, faces federal murder charges, announced Friday by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro for the District of Columbia. Lakanwal, who worked with a CIA-backed Afghan special operations unit known as the “Zero Unit” during the war, entered the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome a Biden-era resettlement program for Afghan allies following the chaotic military withdrawal. 0 He applied for asylum during the Biden administration but was granted it in April 2025 under Trump.
Lakanwal, living in Washington state with his family, drove cross-country before allegedly opening fire on two National Guard members patrolling as part of Trump’s “crime-fighting” deployment in the capital. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, from West Virginia, died from her wounds; Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed to seek the death penalty, calling Lakanwal a “monster.” 5 Trump labeled the incident a “terrorist attack” and blamed Biden’s policies for allowing “unvetted” Afghans into the country, despite officials confirming Lakanwal underwent rigorous security checks multiple times.
The measures extend further: USCIS will reexamine green cards issued to over 1.6 million permanent residents — about 12% of the total from the 19 restricted countries, with Afghanistan alone accounting for more than 116,000 holders. 5 Trump also threatened to reverse “millions” of admissions granted under Biden.
Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac a nonprofit that aided Afghan resettlements condemned the visa halt as using “a single violent individual as cover for a policy they have long planned.” 2 The United Nations has urged the U.S. to uphold international asylum obligations, warning of humanitarian fallout.
This escalation revives echoes of Trump’s first-term travel bans targeting Muslim-majority nations, which faced legal challenges and international criticism. With asylum backlogs already straining the system exacerbated under both administrations the freeze could indefinitely trap thousands fleeing persecution worldwide.
As Rubio put it, national security now trumps all, but critics fear it signals a broader rollback of refugee protections amid America’s post-Afghanistan reckoning.
Daniel Otera is a dedicated journalist with over four years of experience in reporting, field coverage and fact-checking. He has built a reputation for telling stories with clarity, accuracy and a strong commitment to truth. Daniel’s work focuses on bringing verified information to the public while capturing the real experiences of people on the ground.