President Donald Trump has ordered a halt to all pending asylum applications and additional scrutiny of migrants from 19 countries, following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington. The attack, allegedly carried out by an Afghan man, left Guard member Sarah Beckstrom dead and colleague Andrew Wolfe in critical condition.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has paused consideration of roughly 1.5 million asylum applications, a sharp reversal from the administration's previous efforts to clear the backlog. The pause does not appear to apply to immigration courts, where most asylum cases are processed.
In a separate move, USCIS has also paused consideration of a broad range of immigration benefits—including work authorisations, green cards, naturalisation and family sponsorship—for citizens or nationals of 19 countries classified as 'high-risk'. These countries include Afghanistan, Iran, Venezuela, Yemen, and others already subject to travel restrictions.
The memo further orders a 'comprehensive re-review' of all immigration benefits granted to nationals from those countries since 20 January 2021, when Joe Biden took office. This unprecedented review may involve interviews or re-interviews to assess national security and public safety threats.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that Afghan migrants were not properly vetted during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, a claim disputed by immigration experts. Denise Gilman, co-director of the Immigration Clinic at the University of Texas, said Afghan asylum applicants underwent thorough screening, including interviews lasting six to eight hours.
The changes are expected to face legal challenges in federal court, a common pattern in Trump's immigration enforcement overhaul. Gilman expects challengers to ultimately prevail, but warned that in the meantime, asylum claims will be stalled.
