Washington: The US has imposed an immediate freeze on issuing visas to anyone traveling on an Afghan passport, with the State Department calling the move a necessary step to protect national security and public safety.
The US has also suspended all asylum rulings with immediate effect after a National Guard soldier was killed and another critically injured in a shooting near the White House, escalating the Trump administration’s rapid clampdown on immigration.
USCIS and the State Department are conducting case-by-case reviews, but no timeline has been given for lifting the freeze. Legal challenges from immigration advocacy groups and several state governments are expected, particularly against any attempt to revoke citizenship.
The move follows Wednesday’s shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington, DC. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national resettled in 2021, had been granted asylum in April 2025 under the Trump administration.
What triggered the halt?
Edlow said the freeze would remain until the government can ensure ‘proper vetting’ of all asylum seekers. President Trump added a more sweeping political frame, declaring a ‘permanent pause’ on migration from all ‘Third World Countries’ and warning he would revoke citizenship from anyone he deems a threat to domestic order.
The administration also began re-examining green card applications from nationals of 19 countries previously flagged in a June presidential proclamation restricting travel on security grounds.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately announced a full pause on visa issuance for Afghan passport holders, freezing more than 100,000 pending Afghan immigration cases dating back to the 2021 US withdrawal.
What officials say happened
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from gunshot injuries sustained in the attack. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition, according to law enforcement briefings.
Officials say Lakanwal worked with the CIA-backed Zero Unit in Afghanistan, an elite team that operated alongside US special forces. Investigators say he had cleared earlier vetting processes before being granted asylum.
Trump said the attack “underscores the greatest national security threat facing our nation,” describing current immigration controls as insufficient.
The administration has moved aggressively since summer, deploying National Guard units not only to Washington but to Democrat-led cities including Chicago and Portland. The new actions revive earlier Trump-era efforts to narrow asylum access and expand deportation grounds, but go further by targeting naturalised citizens and previously approved cases.
Who is affected?
- Asylum seekers: All pending rulings are on hold. Processing times will likely extend sharply.
- Afghan applicants: More than 100,000 cases face an indefinite freeze.
- Green card applicants from 19 flagged countries: Cases approved under Biden are under fresh review.
- Naturalised citizens and long-term residents: Trump signalled possible denaturalisation for those he labels threats or “non-compatible with Western Civilization.”
USCIS and the State Department are conducting case-by-case reviews, but no timeline has been given for lifting the freeze. Legal challenges from immigration advocacy groups and several state governments are expected, particularly against any attempt to revoke citizenship.
