USCIS halts asylum decisions after Afghan national accused of shooting National Guard members

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced Friday that it has suspended all asylum decisions following the shooting in Washington, D.C., in which an Afghan national was accused of shooting two National Guard members, one of whom died from his wounds.

USCIS Director Joseph P. Edlow, said asylum decisions would be suspended “until we can ensure that every alien is screened and screened to the greatest extent possible.”

“The safety of the American people always comes first,” he wrote on X.

This pause comes amid a widespread anti-immigration campaign signaled by president Donald Trump, who pledged on Thursday to halt immigration from “third world countries” and cancel admissions under Biden.

State Department “immediately” suspends all Afghan travel visas after deadly National Guard attack

Edlow said Thursday that officials will re-examine green cards issued to immigrants from every “country of concern,” including Afghanistan. USCIS has also implemented new national security measures that must be taken into account while screening immigrants from “high-risk” countries.

“I have directed a comprehensive and rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern,” he wrote.

ATF and Secret Service officers after two National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, November 26, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP)

The Department of Homeland Security also said it has already halted all immigration applications from Afghanistan, and is in the process of reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration.

Additionally, the State Department temporarily suspended all travel visas for people traveling on Afghan passports in response to the attack on National Guard members.

“The State Department has immediately stopped issuing visas to individuals traveling on Afghan passports,” the agency wrote. He added: “The Department is taking all necessary steps to protect American national security and public safety.”

National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of West Virginia, died after Wednesday’s shooting in the nation’s capital, while the second service member wounded in the attack, Andrew Wolf, 24, remains in critical condition.

The alleged gunman, Rahmanullah Lakkanwal, 29, faces multiple charges, including one count of first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. Prosecutor Pam Bondi said the Justice Department would impose the death penalty on the suspect.

Who is accused of shooting at the National Guard in the capital? What do you know about the Afghan patriot Rahmanullah Lakanwal?

An undated file photo of Rahmanullah Lakkanwal, the suspect in the shooting deaths of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., November 26, 2025. (Provided by the Ministry of Justice)

Lakanwal legally entered the United States in 2021 under parole on humanitarian grounds as part of the Biden administration’s Welcoming Allies operation, following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

It was She was examined by the CIA In Afghanistan for his work with the agency and again for his asylum application in the United States. A senior US official told Fox News that he was “clean on all checks” in his background check.

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The Trump administration approved Lakkanwal’s asylum request earlier this year.

A June report by the Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General concluded that there were “no systemic failures” in screening Afghan refugees or subsequent migration pathways.