Trump suspends all Afghan immigration after National Guard shooting

On Nov. 26, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced 'Processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely' in response to the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. The suspension affects all pending asylum applications, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applications for interpreters and military partners, family reunification petitions, and refugee resettlement requests. USCIS Director UJUr Jaddou said the pause allows 'a thorough review of the vetting process' for Afghan nationals.

On Nov. 27, President Trump said 'We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden and determine whether they deserve to remain here or should be removed.' He announced a comprehensive review of all 233,000 refugees admitted to the U.S. between Jan. 2021 and Feb. 2025 under the Biden administration's refugee resettlement program. Trump also ordered review of all green cards issued to nationals from 19 'countries of concern' primarily in Africa and the Middle East identified in his Jun. 2025 travel ban.

On Nov. 28, the State Department paused all visa processing for Afghan passport holders, including tourist visas, student visas, and work visas. The same day, USCIS announced it would halt all asylum decisions for Afghans already in the U.S., leaving thousands in legal limbo. Trump told reporters 'We can't have people coming here who might attack our military or our police. We're going to figure out who these people are and what they're doing here.' The expanded actions went beyond immigration applications to include people already granted legal status.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal entered the U.S. in Sep. 2021 via Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration's emergency evacuation of Afghans who worked with U.S. forces during the 20-year war. Lakanwal worked for the CIA in Afghanistan according to federal law enforcement officials. He was granted asylum in 2025 after extensive vetting including biometric screening, interviews with immigration officials, and security background checks by FBI, DHS, DoD, and intelligence agencies. Defense Department records show Lakanwal had no derogatory information in security databases at the time of admission.

The #AfghanEvac advocacy coalition criticized the suspension as 'collective punishment of an entire nationality for the alleged actions of one individual.' SVShawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac, said 'Every Afghan who came through Operation Allies Welcome underwent rigorous, multi-layer vetting by multiple U.S. government agencies. The suggestion that we need to re-vet 233,000 refugees is insulting to the dedicated professionals who conducted the original screenings and ignores the reality that these are people who risked their lives helping Americans.'

Trump previously restricted Afghan immigration through a Jan. 20, 2025, executive order suspending the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program and terminating Temporary Protected Status for Afghan nationals. That order reduced refugee admissions to zero and gave Afghans with TPS 120 days to leave the country or face deportation. The Nov. 26-28 actions expanded restrictions to include all immigration categories. Approximately 96,000 Afghans entered the U.S. through Operation Allies Welcome in 2021, with thousands more arriving through SIV programs in subsequent years.

The State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration handles refugee vetting, which includes biographic and biometric data collection, interviews with trained officers, medical screenings, and cultural orientation. For Afghan SIV applicants, the process includes verification of U.S. government employment, recommendation from U.S. supervisors, and Chief of Mission approval. The process typically takes 12-24 months. Security checks are repeated at multiple stages and continuously updated until arrival in the U.S.

USCIS Director Edlow said the agency would conduct 'maximum vetting possible' before resuming any Afghan immigration processing. He didn't specify what additional vetting would entail beyond current protocols. Immigration attorneys and refugee advocates argue existing vetting is already extraordinarily rigorous, with Afghan applicants facing the longest wait times and most intensive scrutiny of any nationality. They questioned what additional screening could be implemented that isn't already in place.