The US State Department has “immediately” paused issuing visas to anyone traveling on Afghan passports and US immigration authorities have halted decisions on all asylum applications, citing public safety concerns after a deadly shooting in Washington, DC.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on X that visa issuance for all individuals traveling on Afghan passports has been suspended. The action follows the naming of Afghan national Rahmanaullah Lakanwal as the primary suspect in the Wednesday ambush of two West Virginia National Guard members patrolling near the White House. The attack killed 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and left 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe critically injured.
The CIA said Lakanwal had worked for the agency in Afghanistan before coming to the US after the 2021 withdrawal. The US Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia, led by Jeanine Pirro, announced charges against Lakanwal were upgraded to first-degree murder and include two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services director Joseph Edlow said the agency has paused all asylum decisions “in the interest of the safety of the American people,” posting that asylum adjudications will be halted until every applicant can be vetted and screened to the fullest extent. Edlow had earlier said he ordered a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination” of every green card for aliens from “countries of concern,” at the direction of President Trump.
The moves are part of a broader tightening of immigration by the Trump administration following the shooting. Trump described the incident as a “terrorist attack,” criticized the prior administration’s visa policies for Afghan nationals who worked with US forces, and ordered reviews of green card applications from 19 “countries of concern.” He also said he planned to suspend immigration from “all Third World countries,” a term he did not define, and promised to denaturalize or deport those he deems not compatible with US interests.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has already cut refugee admissions sharply, announcing the US would accept only 7,500 refugees in 2026 — the lowest refugee ceiling since 1980.
