President Donald Trump announced his administration intends to maintain an indefinite pause on asylum decisions for what he described as a “long time,” following a deadly shooting near the White House that claimed the life of a National Guard member. The policy freeze was implemented after the November 26, 2025 attack that killed Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounded Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, both from the West Virginia National Guard.
The President made clear he has no immediate plans to lift the measure, which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has linked to 19 countries already facing United States travel restrictions. Speaking about citizens from these nations, Trump stated his opposition to their admission, claiming some individuals “have been no good” and should not enter the country.
The affected nationalities include citizens from countries subject to travel restrictions implemented in June 2025. The full ban list comprises Afghanistan, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Additional countries face partial restrictions, including Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), announced Friday that the agency has halted all asylum decisions until authorities can ensure maximum vetting and screening of every applicant. The directive applies to asylum seekers of all nationalities, not solely those from the 19 listed countries. Additionally, the State Department immediately paused visa issuance for all travelers holding Afghan passports.
The asylum freeze was implemented directly following the Washington attack. A 29 year old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was arrested and charged with first degree murder and multiple counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. Lakanwal had entered the United States in 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome, a resettlement program following the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Despite having worked with a CIA backed “partner force” known as the Zero Unit fighting the Taliban, he was granted asylum in April 2025 during the current Trump administration, according to law enforcement sources.
Following the incident, Trump assigned responsibility for Lakanwal’s admission to what officials characterized as inadequate vetting during the 2021 Afghan evacuation under the previous administration. The President had earlier signaled his hardline immigration stance in a Thanksgiving Day social media post, writing he planned to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover.”
The current freeze on asylum decisions represents what appears to be the initial major step toward that objective. At Trump’s direction, USCIS also announced plans to conduct a comprehensive reexamination of every green card issued to individuals from the 19 countries of concern. The review includes enhanced background checks and extended security screening, though officials have not clarified whether green cards could be revoked through this process.
Beckstrom, who joined the military after graduating high school, had volunteered to remain in Washington over the Thanksgiving holiday so other Guard members could spend time with their families. She worked at a behavioral health center and aspired to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Wolfe remains hospitalized in very serious condition. The shooting occurred near the Farragut West metro station, approximately two blocks northwest of the White House, in what law enforcement described as an ambush style attack.
Immigration advocates and the Alliance of Afghan Communities in the United States have expressed concern that one individual’s actions should not obstruct legal cases for thousands of qualifying Afghan nationals. More than 190,000 Afghans have resettled in the United States since the August 2021 military withdrawal, according to State Department figures. Two United Nations agencies urged the United States on Friday to continue accepting asylum seekers.
The policy shift has drawn criticism from immigration experts who note that Lakanwal received asylum approval under the Trump administration itself after undergoing vetting procedures. Legal analysts have questioned whether the government possesses authority to revoke green cards without following due process, noting that immigration judges typically require serious criminal grounds such as convictions for grievous crimes.
Trump has also threatened additional measures including ending federal benefits for non citizens, denaturalizing migrants deemed security risks, and implementing what he termed “reverse migration.” The administration previously terminated temporary protected status for some Somali migrants in Minnesota, a program that had shielded eligible individuals from deportation to dangerous countries since 1991.
The exact timeline for resuming asylum decisions remains unclear, with Trump indicating only that the pause will last for “a long time.” The administration has not specified criteria that would need to be met before lifting the freeze.
