{"id":3766,"date":"2025-11-29T04:15:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T04:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=3766"},"modified":"2025-11-29T04:15:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T04:15:44","slug":"us-pauses-visas-for-all-afghan-passport-holders-halts-asylum-requests-donald-trump-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=3766","title":{"rendered":"US pauses visas for all Afghan passport holders, halts asylum requests | Donald Trump News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Pause on visas and halting of asylum applications comes after shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The US State Department has announced it is \u201cimmediately\u201d pausing issuing visas for individuals travelling on Afghan passports to protect \u201cpublic safety\u201d, as President Donald Trump administration\u2019s immigration crackdown intensifies in the wake of a deadly attack on two National Guard members.<\/p>\n

The announcement on Friday came as United States immigration authorities said they are also halting decisions on all asylum applications for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed in a post on X on Friday that the State Department had \u201cpaused visa issuance for ALL individuals traveling on Afghan passports\u201d.<\/p>\n

The move comes after authorities named Afghan national Rahmanaullah Lakanwal as the main suspect in Wednesday\u2019s shooting in Washington, DC, which killed one National Guard member and left another in critical condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe United States has no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people,\u201d Rubio said.<\/p>\n

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President Trump\u2019s State Department has paused visa issuance for ALL individuals traveling on Afghan passports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The United States has no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people. <\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) November 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Lakanwal is alleged to have ambushed West Virginia National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe in an unprovoked attack as they patrolled near the White House.<\/p>\n

On Thursday evening, the Trump administration confirmed that 20-year-old Beckstrom had died from her injuries, while 24-year-old Wolfe remains in critical condition.<\/p>\n

The CIA confirmed this week that Lakanwal had worked for the spy agency in Afghanistan before emigrating to the US shortly after the withdrawal of Western forces from the country in 2021.<\/p>\n

The office of US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, announced on Friday that the charges against Lakanwal had been upgraded to first-degree murder, along with two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.<\/p>\n

In a separate announcement on Friday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) director Joseph Edlow said the agency had also paused all asylum decisions in the interest of the \u201csafety of the American people\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cUSCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,\u201d Edlow said in a post on X.<\/p>\n

A day earlier, Edlow said he had ordered \u201ca full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern\u201d at the direction of Trump.<\/p>\n

The moves are the latest in a series of escalating restrictions imposed on immigration into the US at Trump\u2019s urging.<\/p>\n

Trump, who called the deadly Washington, DC, shooting a \u201cterrorist attack\u201d, has on several occasions over recent days attacked former President Joe Biden\u2019s administration\u2019s immigration policies, including the granting of visas to Afghan nationals who worked with US forces in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

Lakanwal came to the US under a Biden-era programme known as \u201cOperation Allies Welcome\u201d, following the US withdrawal in 2021.<\/p>\n

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday, Trump ordered authorities to re-examine all green card applications from 19 \u201ccountries of concern\u201d, before saying he planned to suspend immigration from \u201call Third World countries\u201d.<\/p>\n

He did not define the term \u201cThird World\u201d, but the phrase is often used as a shorthand for developing countries in the Global South.<\/p>\n

Trump also said that he would \u201cremove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I will] denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquillity, and deport any foreign national who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western civilization,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has already taken aggressive measures to restrict immigration, announcing in October his administration would accept only 7,500 refugees in 2026 \u2013 the lowest number since 1980.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n