The Trump administration has suspended all asylum rulings in response to the recent shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington DC, according to Joseph Edlow, director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Edlow said the freeze would remain in effect “until we can guarantee that every applicant is subjected to the highest level of vetting and security screening.”
The decision was announced shortly after President Donald Trump vowed to “permanently pause migration” from what he described as “third world countries.”
These rapid policy moves follow Wednesday’s attack, which left one soldier dead and another critically injured. Authorities have accused an Afghan national of carrying out the shooting.
Although the initial actions were focused on Afghans seeking entry into the US, subsequent directives have expanded to cover a much broader scope.
CBS News, a partner of the BBC, reported that USCIS officers have been instructed not to approve, deny, or close any asylum requests, regardless of nationality. Applications may still be processed internally, but no final decisions can be issued.
Details of the guidance issued on Friday, however, remain limited.
Trump did not specify which countries will fall under his planned migration freeze, a move expected to face legal pushback and already drawing concern from UN bodies.
The president’s recent announcements represent a sharper hardline shift during his second term, as he pursues mass deportations of undocumented migrants, slashes refugee admissions, and challenges birthright citizenship.
In the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s attack, the US halted visa issuance for Afghans using the same programme as the suspect. Soon after, all immigration applications from Afghanistan were suspended pending review.
The following day, USCIS announced plans to re-examine existing green cards issued to migrants from 19 countries, referencing a June proclamation that included Afghanistan, Somalia, Haiti, Iran, Cuba, and Venezuela. No clarification was given on what the review process will entail.
Trump also declared that non-citizens would no longer be eligible for federal benefits and subsidies.
‘Third World Countries’
In remarks following the attack, Trump argued that refugees were contributing to “social breakdown in America,” and said the government would remove “anyone who is not a net asset” to the country.
He claimed that “hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia” had overwhelmed Minnesota and promised to halt migration from all “Third World Countries” until the US system “fully recovers.”
The term traditionally refers to developing nations.
Earlier this year, a travel ban had already been imposed on nationals from several African and Asian countries, primarily including Afghanistan. Trump also enacted a similar ban targeting multiple Muslim-majority nations during his previous term.
The UN has urged Washington to honour international obligations toward asylum seekers, according to Reuters.
Jeremy McKinney, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, criticised Trump’s response, calling it a “scapegoating” of migrants.
He noted that the motive behind the shooting remains unclear and said issues like radicalisation or mental illness can affect people of any background.
Suspect in the DC Shooting
Officials identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who entered the US in 2021 through a programme that offered protection to Afghans who had assisted American forces before the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal previously belonged to a “Zero Unit,” an Afghan paramilitary and intelligence force that worked alongside the CIA—an affiliation confirmed by the agency’s current director.
A senior US official told CNN that Lakanwal underwent vetting both during his CIA-associated work and before entering the US.
A childhood friend told the New York Times that he suffered mental health challenges following his service.
Lakanwal reportedly received asylum after Trump returned to office, but his green card application remains under review, CBS reported.
