Shooting of National Guardsmen Triggers New U.S. Immigration Restrictions

Following last week's shooting of two National Guard members by an Afghan national suspect in the nation's capital, the administration of President Donald Trump has announced a series of policies aimed at restricting the entry or continued stay of certain foreigners in the country.

The administration announced the suspension of asylum decisions, the reevaluation of permanent residency applications from individuals originating from "countries of concern," and halted the issuance of visas for Afghans who collaborated with U.S. military operations.

Days prior to the shooting, a memorandum obtained by The Associated Press indicated the administration would reevaluate the cases of all refugees who entered the United States during the presidency of Joe Biden.

This intensified effort to restrict immigration has faced strong criticism from refugee rights advocates and those working with Afghans, who assert it amounts to collective punishment. They also argue that reopening cases that have already been processed is a waste of government resources.

The federal administration maintains the new policies are necessary to ensure individuals who enter the country, or are already here, do not pose a security threat.

Below is an overview of the key changes announced in recent days:

Suspension of All Asylum Decisions

The Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Joseph Edlow, posted last week on the social media platform X that asylum decisions would be suspended "until we can ensure every alien is investigated and vetted to the greatest extent possible."

Beyond this post, no formal guidance has been issued, leaving many details about the plans unclear.

Individuals seeking asylum must demonstrate to federal officials that they face a threat of persecution—whether due to race, nationality, or other specified grounds—if returned to their home country. If granted asylum, they are permitted to remain in the United States and may eventually apply for permanent residency and later citizenship.

The suspect in the shooting of the two National Guardsmen was granted asylum earlier this year, according to the activist group #AfghanEvac.

The Trump administration had previously restricted the right to apply for asylum. The president issued an executive order in January that virtually halted asylum eligibility for individuals who entered the country from Mexico. Typically, those cases proceed through immigration courts overseen by the Department of Justice.

USCIS oversees the asylum process for foreigners the administration does not seek to remove through immigration courts. While the January order did not affect these cases, Edlow's social media post suggests they will now be subject to additional scrutiny. Edlow did not detail how long the suspension of asylum decisions would last or what would happen to affected individuals during the pause.

Backlogs for all types of asylum applications have been growing. USCIS noted there are currently 1.4 million pending cases within the agency. Just a few years ago, in 2022, there were 241,280, according to the Office of Homeland Security Statistics. Separately, there are approximately 2.4 million asylum applications pending before the Department of Justice's immigration courts.

"Countries of Concern"

On November 27, Edlow announced his agency is conducting a "rigorous, large-scale reevaluation" of every permanent residency card issued to individuals from, he stated, "each of the countries of concern."

"American security is non-negotiable," Edlow emphasized.

The agency issued a press release the same day stating it was issuing new guidelines that could make the process more difficult for people from 19 countries the administration considers "high-risk"—including Afghanistan—when applying for immigration benefits like permanent residency or extensions to remain in the United States.

The administration had already banned entry to the U.S. for citizens from 12 of those countries and restricted access for people from another seven.

No Visas for Afghans

There are also stricter measures specifically targeting Afghans.

USCIS announced last week the suspension of all "immigration filings related to Afghan nationals." This affects Afghans already living in the United States who are seeking to obtain permanent residency, work permits, or permission to bring family members to the U.S.

Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday night on X that the State Department has temporarily suspended the issuance of visas for all individuals traveling on Afghan passports.

The Trump administration had already imposed severe limits on travel and immigration from Afghanistan. The only pathway that had remained open was the Special Immigrant Visa program, which allowed Afghans who closely supported the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan and faced retaliation for it to emigrate to the United States.

But the State Department's announcement means even that pathway is currently closed.

According to #AfghanEvac, a group advocating for Afghans coming to the U.S., approximately 180,000 Afghans were in the process of applying for a Special Immigrant Visa.

Review of Refugees Admitted During Biden Administration

Even before the shooting of the two National Guardsmen, the White House was already planning a comprehensive review of tens of thousands of immigrants who entered the United States during the Biden administration as part of the Refugee Assistance Program.

That program, first launched in 1980, oversees the process by which people fleeing persecution can come to the United States. Refugees are distinct from asylum seekers, though they meet the same criteria. Refugees must apply and wait outside the United States to be admitted, whereas asylum seekers apply upon arrival on U.S. soil.

Trump suspended the refugee program on his first day in office, and only a small number of refugees have been admitted since then, either white South Africans or individuals admitted as part of a lawsuit seeking to restart the refugee program.

Subsequently, Edlow noted in a memo dated November 21, obtained by The Associated Press, that the administration will review and reevaluate all refugees who were admitted to the United States during the Biden presidency, numbering nearly 200,000 refugees.

Activists argue that refugees already undergo a rigorous vetting process.