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U.S. Pauses Visas for Afghan Passport Holders and Halts Asylum Decisions After Deadly DC Shooting

U.S. pauses Afghan-passport visas and freezes asylum decisions after a shooting in Washington, D.C., that left one National Guard member dead and another critically injured. Authorities named Rahmanaullah Lakanwal as the primary suspect; the CIA says he previously worked in Afghanistan. USCIS has suspended asylum rulings while green-card vetting is re-examined, and the administration is signaling broader immigration restrictions.

12:49 PM, 11/29/2025Security
U.S. Pauses Visas for Afghan Passport Holders and Halts Asylum Decisions After Deadly DC Shooting

The U.S. State Department has immediately suspended issuing visas to individuals traveling on Afghan passports and U.S. immigration authorities have paused decisions on all asylum applications, citing public safety concerns after a fatal attack near the White House.

Authorities have identified Afghan national Rahmanaullah Lakanwal as the primary suspect in Wednesday’s shooting in Washington, D.C., which left two members of the National Guard injured. Officials later confirmed that 20-year-old Guard member Sarah Beckstrom died of her injuries; 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition.

The State Department announced the visa pause on Friday; Senator Marco Rubio also posted on X that the Department had paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports. The agency said the measure was taken as an immediate safety precaution while investigators continue their work.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said charges against the suspect were upgraded to first-degree murder and include two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. The CIA has said the suspect previously worked for the agency in Afghanistan before relocating to the United States after the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Separately, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director Joseph Edlow announced that the agency has halted asylum rulings to allow for enhanced vetting procedures. Edlow also said he had ordered a comprehensive re-examination of green-card approvals for applicants from countries of concern at the direction of the President.

President Biden’s successor, President Trump, has described the shooting as a “terrorist attack” and has pressed for broader immigration restrictions. On social media he directed a review of green-card applications from 19 “countries of concern” and called for suspending immigration from what he described as “Third World countries,” a term that lacks a clear technical definition and is often used informally to refer to developing nations.

Since returning to the White House in January, the administration has taken several steps to restrict immigration, including setting a U.S. refugee admissions cap of 7,500 for fiscal year 2026 — the lowest annual ceiling since 1980.

Developments to watch: investigators’ updates on motive and timeline, any reversal or narrowing of the visa and asylum pauses, and further legal actions from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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U.S. Pauses Visas for Afghan Passport Holders and Halts Asylum Decisions After Deadly DC Shooting - CRBC News