The State Department has immediately paused issuing visas to travelers using Afghan passports, and U.S. immigration authorities have halted decisions on all asylum applications. Officials say the moves are being made on public-safety grounds following a deadly shooting near the White House.
Authorities have identified Rahmanaullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, as the primary suspect in an ambush that targeted two West Virginia National Guard members on patrol. The attack left 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom dead and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe critically injured.
According to the CIA, Lakanwal worked for the agency in Afghanistan before arriving in the United States after the 2021 withdrawal. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced that charges against Lakanwal were upgraded to first-degree murder and include two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has stopped adjudicating asylum claims while it conducts more extensive vetting. The agency’s director said asylum decisions will remain on hold until applicants can be screened to the fullest extent, and that green-card approvals for people from certain countries will be re-examined as part of a broader review.
The actions come amid a wider tightening of immigration policy by the Trump administration following the shooting. President Trump called the incident a terrorist attack, criticized previous visa policies for Afghans who worked with U.S. forces, and ordered reviews of green-card applications from 19 designated countries. He also said he plans further restrictions on immigration from what he called ‘Third World countries’ and threatened denaturalization or deportation for those he deems incompatible with U.S. interests.
Since returning to the White House, the administration has sharply reduced refugee admissions, setting a ceiling of 7,500 refugees for 2026 — the lowest since 1980. The new visa and asylum measures signal a continuing hard line on migration while officials complete security reviews.