Trump administration pauses all immigration applications from Afghans after National Guard shooting in D.C. [View all]
Source: CBS News
Updated on: November 27, 2025 / 1:10 AM EST / CBS News
Federal immigration authorities said Wednesday they have paused processing requests from Afghan nationals, after a man who entered the U.S. from Afghanistan was identified as the suspect in a shooting that wounded two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a statement that the "processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols," effective immediately.
The announcement came shortly after the Department of Homeland Security announced publicly that the suspected shooter — who was shot by a Guard member and is now in custody — was a man named Rahmanullah Lakanwal who entered the U.S. in 2021 under a Biden-era initiative for Afghans called Operation Allies Welcome.
President Trump said in remarks following the shooting: "We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country." The U.S. military evacuated tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan in 2021, as the United States' two-decade-long war in the country ended with the Taliban returning to power.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-pauses-immigration-applications-afghanistan-national-guard-shooting-dc/
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