US halts visa issuance for Afghan passport holders, tightens screening for every ‘alien’ after White House attack

Following the attack on two National Guard members by an Afghan national, the US State Department has paused visa issuance for all individuals travelling on passports from Afghanistan, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

In a post on the social media platform X, Rubio wrote, “President Trump’s State Department has paused visa issuance for ALL individuals travelling on Afghan passports. The United States has no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people.”

Meanwhile, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services has halted all asylum decisions until every migrant has been thoroughly vetted and screened, according to USCIS Director Joseph Eldow.

In a post on X, Eldow on November 29 wrote, “USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The safety of the American people always comes first. ”

White House shooting incident

The latest crackdown on immigrants by the Donald Trump administration comes after an incident where an Afghan national, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, opened fire on two guards just blocks from the White House on Wednesday, 26 November. One of them, 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, was killed, while 24-year-old US Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition, Reuters reported.

Trump admin's response

Responding to the incident, Donald Trump announced on Thursday that his administration will enforce a permanent ban on migration from all "Third World countries" to give the US system time to fully recover. He also mentioned that the US will stop providing federal benefits and subsidies to non-citizens within the country.

Meanwhile, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow informed that he has ordered a comprehensive and thorough review of all Green Card applications from individuals from countries of concern, following a directive from Trump.

In another post on X, Eldow said, “At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern."

While calling out the Biden administration, he added, “The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies. American safety is non-negotiable.”

In addition to the Green Card crackdown, the Trump administration issued new guidance that allows for country-specific factors to be considered when vetting aliens from 19 high-risk countries.

In a statement on November 27, USCIS said, “This (vetting) includes an assessment of where they are coming from and why." It added, “Effective immediately, I am issuing new policy guidance that authorises USCIS officers to consider country-specific factors as significant negative factors when reviewing immigration requests. American lives come first.”