US halts all visas for Afghan passport holders after DC Guard shooting, orders tougher vetting

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.

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 Department of State has IMMEDIATELY paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports.

The Department is taking all necessary steps to protect U.S. national security and public safety.

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— Department of State (@StateDept) November 28, 2025

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.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow said officers have been ordered to stop issuing asylum decisions until 'every applicant can be vetted to the maximum degree possible.' The directive comes as agencies begin re-screening past asylum approvals and green card applications cleared under the Biden administration.

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.

How this fits into Trump’s wider immigration push

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.

A comparison point: even at the peak of Trump’s first-term restrictions, the US did not freeze all asylum decisions nationwide. Friday’s move marks the most expansive pause in modern asylum processing.

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.”