Trump Administration Suspends All U.S. Asylum Applications After National Guard Shooting

A Thanksgiving-Eve shooting near the White House wounded two West Virginia National Guard members and killed Specialist Sarah Beckstrom.

“Pause on visas and halting of asylum applications comes after shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC”

Al Jazeera

Authorities identified 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal as the suspect, prompting sweeping immigration moves by the Trump administration.

Al Jazeera

Reports say Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome and investigators have alleged ties to a CIA-linked Afghan 'Zero Unit'.

Prosecutors upgraded charges to include first-degree murder as they sought motive and executed warrants in multiple states.

Coverage across outlets emphasizes the same basic facts—fatality, critical injury and the suspect's Afghan background—while differing on details about his asylum timeline and the language used to describe his prior service.

Within days, the administration ordered a pause on all asylum decisions and suspended visa issuance for travelers using Afghan passports.

USCIS Director Joseph Edlow posted on X that asylum decisions will be paused 'until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,' and the State Department said it had 'IMMEDIATELY paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports.'

Ariana News

Officials said the moves were driven by national-security and public-safety concerns after the shooting.

Officials broadened the response beyond Afghan passports by ordering a re-examination of green cards for nationals from 19 'countries of concern' and announcing a review of asylum approvals issued under President Biden.

“The Trump administration has halted all asylum decisions following the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington DC, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director has said”

BBC

Agencies cited both security proclamations and existing backlogs, with CNN and the New York Post reporting roughly 2.2 million pending asylum cases nationwide.

India Today and BOL News referenced a review of more than 100,000 pending Afghan files dating to the 2021 withdrawal, though many outlets warned that operational details and timelines remain unclear.

The episode intensified political rhetoric, with President Trump describing the shooting as justification to broaden restrictions.

He called for a 'permanent pause' on migration from 'Third World' countries and proposed re-reviews of green cards for nationals of 19 countries, along with denaturalization and deportation powers.

BOL News

International and regional outlets framed the announcements differently.

Al Jazeera and PressTV presented the moves as part of an escalating hardline immigration agenda, while some U.S. outlets reported them as immediate policy directives tied to the shooting.

Humanitarian advocates, legal observers and some mainstream outlets warned of legal and practical consequences.

“•Immigration crackdown:The State Department announced apause on visa issuancefor Afghan passport holders, while the US immigration service said it willhalt all asylum decisions”

CNN

UN agencies urged the U.S. to uphold asylum obligations.

CNN

Advocacy groups said the administration was 'punishing an entire community.'

Reporting noted existing backlogs and limited details on implementation that could create legal uncertainty and enforcement changes.

Several sources explicitly said operational specifics remain unclear and that critics view the actions as politically timed.

At the same time, some alternative outlets presented the measures as necessary security steps.