US halts visas and asylum for Afghan nationals
The United States has paused issuing visas for anyone travelling on Afghan passports and halted all asylum decisions, as the Trump administration intensifies its immigration crackdown following the deadly shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC.
The State Department confirmed the immediate suspension on Friday, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying the move aims to protect public safety. The announcement came after authorities identified Afghan national Rahmanaullah Lakanwal as the suspect in Wednesday’s attack near the White House. One soldier, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, later died, while another remains in critical condition, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
Lakanwal, who emigrated to the US under the Biden-era “Operation Allies Welcome” programme and previously worked for the CIA in Afghanistan, is charged with first-degree murder and multiple counts of assault with intent to kill.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services also halted all asylum decisions indefinitely. Director Joseph Edlow said the agency will resume processing only after ensuring “maximum” vetting of applicants. He earlier ordered a full review of green cards for individuals from 19 “countries of concern”.
President Donald Trump has used the attack to justify sweeping new restrictions, calling it a “terrorist attack” and criticising former President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. Trump has said he intends to suspend immigration from what he described as “Third World countries” and to remove anyone considered a security risk or “not a net asset” to the US.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has rolled out some of the strictest immigration measures in decades, including setting the 2026 refugee cap at 7,500 — the lowest since the US began its modern refugee programme in 1980.
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