The announcements are part of a wave of immigration-related orders from the administration after two National Guard members were shot near the White House.
Migrants wait outside the facilities of the Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) to complete their paperwork for their CBP appointment, in Naucalpan, State of Mexico, on Jan. 28, 2025. Alfredo Estrella/AFP via Getty Images
The Trump administration on Nov. 28 halted all asylum decisions and paused visa issuance for Afghan nationals following the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House, citing national security concerns.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it halted all asylum decisions, “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow wrote in an X post. “The safety of the American people always comes first.”
On the same day, the U.S. Department of State said on X that it “has IMMEDIATELY paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports,” adding that it “is taking all necessary steps to protect U.S. national security and public safety.”
The USCIS announced the pause after it stopped processing all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals following the shooting of two National Guard members, one killed and the other injured, on Nov. 26 near the White House.
For an immigrant to be eligible for asylum, the applicant must “have a fear of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or their inclusion in a particular social group,” according to the Refugee Council USA.
Friday night’s announcements are part of a wave of immigration-related orders from the Trump administration.
Earlier in the day, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued an alert aimed at stopping illegal immigrants from moving “illicitly obtained funds” from across the border.
“Money services businesses should be vigilant in identifying suspicious financial activity involving illegal aliens who present significant threats to national security and public safety,” Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence John K. Hurley said in a press release issued on Friday.
On Thanksgiving Day, USCIS revealed it was launching a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every person who came from a “country of concern.”
“The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies. American safety is non negotiable,” Edlow wrote in a Nov. 27 post on X.
President Donald Trump’s Thanksgiving message included a critique of the current state of immigration in America.
“The official United States Foreign population stands at 53 million people (Census), most of which are on welfare, from failed nations, or from prisons, mental institutions, gangs, or drug cartels,” the president wrote in a social media post on Nov. 27.
“A migrant earning $30,000 with a green card will get roughly $50,000 in yearly benefits for their family. The real migrant population is much higher. This refugee burden is the leading cause of social dysfunction in America, something that did not exist after World War II (Failed schools, high crime, urban decay, overcrowded hospitals, housing shortages, and large deficits, etc.).”
On Nov. 26, the USCIS stopped processing all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who once worked with the CIA, allegedly gunned down the two National Guard members in Washington.
That incident, which happened not far from the White House, killed Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and severely injured Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, who remains in critical condition.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office said on Nov. 28 the charges against the suspect now include one count of first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
Jacki Thrapp is an Emmy® Award-winning journalist based in Nashville. She previously worked at The New York Post, Fox News Channel and has written a series of Off-Broadway musicals in NYC. Contact her at jacki.thrapp@epochtimes.us