Following National Guard shooting, Trump admin takes BIG action, halts visas, asylum reviews for…, US to…

Following the shooting of two National Guardsmen close to the White House, the Trump administration has made a significant policy change. The Trump administration has announced it has halted all asylum cases for the time being, as reported by the BBC. Furthermore, the U.S. will no longer be granting visas on Afghan passports.

What prompted the Trump administration to halt visas and asylum reviews?

The U.S. State Department has released a statement indicating that, effective immediately, all visas for people holding Afghan passports have been suspended due to the recent shooting incident that occurred near the White House, which has sparked renewed discussions about security issues throughout the country.

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State for the United States, announced via X post that the Department of State has paused visa processing for all individuals with Afghan passports. “President Trump’s State Department has paused visa issuance for ALL individuals traveling on Afghan passports.  The United States has no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people,” reads the post.

What countries’ citizens are affected by this new policy?

This decision follows after the identification of Rahmanaullah Lakanwal, an Afghan citizen, who was designated as the primary suspect in a shooting incident that occurred on Wednesday in Washington D.C., resulting in the death of a member of the National Guard and critically injuring another.

What measures are being taken to ensure security after the attack?

Earlier on Friday, US President Doland Trump said that he would permanently pause migration from all “third-world countries”, to allow the US system to terminate illegal admissions into the United States. Trump has announced the demise of one of the two National Guard soldiers wounded in the recent shooting that occurred blocks away from the White House. The deceased National Guard soldier has been identified as US Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who hailed from West Virginia.

Has the accused been identified?

The 29-year-old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is accused of shooting two National Guard personnel. According to the media reports, Rahmanaullah Lakanwal arrived in the US in 2021 and was granted Asylum in that same year. In response to this incident, the Trump administration has enacted tighter immigration policies and continues to expand upon these policies.

After the attack, the administration announced there would be a review of all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration and further stated that subsequent thorough background checks had not been conducted on many of these. According to Joe Edlow, who is the Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), this new vetting requirement will be “fully thorough and completely rigorous,” as directed by the President. These 19 Countries Are: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela. Previously, USCIS began a stricter review process toward green card applicants originating from 19 countries that received a security alert in June after a presidential order was issued.