US Halts Asylum Decisions and Reviews Green Cards After National Guard Shooting

In response to a recent shooting near the White House that resulted in the death of National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and critically injured Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, the Trump administration has suspended all asylum decisions and halted visa processing for individuals holding Afghan passports. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who previously worked with a CIA-backed Afghan Army unit, has been charged with first-degree murder and other related offenses. Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome program and was granted asylum in 2025 during the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump labeled the incident a "terrorist attack" and announced a "permanent pause" on migration from all "Third World Countries," without specifying which nations this encompasses. He also ordered a comprehensive review of all green cards issued to individuals from 19 countries identified in a June presidential proclamation. These countries include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.

Critics argue that the administration is leveraging the incident to implement preexisting plans to curb legal immigration. Immigration officials claim the freeze will remain until enhanced vetting is ensured. Meanwhile, refugee advocates warn that the administration is scapegoating the broader Afghan community based on an isolated act of violence.

Investigations into Lakanwal's background are ongoing across various states. Beckstrom, honored as a dedicated and professional soldier, had volunteered for the D.C. deployment as part of Trump's crime-fighting initiative.