Trump pauses all asylum requests, visas for Afghans

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has halted all asylum decisions and paused issuing visas for people traveling on Afghan passports days after a shooting near the White House that left one National Guard member dead and another in critical condition.

Secretary of state Marco Rubio said Friday his department paused "visa issuance for ALL individuals traveling on Afghan passports."

Investigators continued Saturday to seek a motive in the shooting, in which the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, now faces charges including first-degree murder.




Lakanwal is a 29-year-old Afghan national who worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War. He applied for asylum during the Biden administration and was granted it this year under Trump, .

The Trump administration has seized on the shooting to vow to intensify efforts to rein in legal immigration, promising to pause entry from some poor countries and review Afghans and other legal migrants already in the country. That is in addition to other measures, some of which were previously set in motion.

Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died after the Wednesday shooting, and Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24, was hospitalised in critical condition. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro's office said the charges against Lakanwal also include two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. In an interview on Fox News, she said there were "many charges to come."

The director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said in a post on the social platform X that asylum decisions will be paused "until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible."

Experts say the US has rigorous vetting systems for asylum-seekers. Asylum claims made from inside the country through USCIS have long faced backlogs.