US issues new vetting guidelines for 19 high-risk countries after Afghan suspect shoots 2 National Guard members

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on 27 November announced new vetting guidance for aliens from 19 high-risk countries after an Afghan national shot two National Guard Service members, killing one.

The statement notes that new guidance was issued, allowing for negative, country-specific factors to be considered when vetting aliens from 19 high-risk countries. This guidance follows the Trump administration's decision to suspend refugee resettlement from Afghanistan and to restrict the entry of Afghan nationals during its first year in office.

What does the statement say?

Blaming the incident on the Joe Biden administration, the statement read, “This (vetting) includes an assessment of where they are coming from and why. Yesterday’s horrific events make it abundantly clear that the Biden administration spent the last four years dismantling basic vetting and screening standards, prioritising the rapid resettlement of aliens from high-risk countries over the safety of American citizens."

It added, "The Trump administration takes the opposite approach. Effective immediately, I am issuing new policy guidance that authorizes USCIS officers to consider country-specific factors as significant negative factors when reviewing immigration requests. American lives come first.”

“My primary responsibility is to ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in the statement.

The revised guidance, which takes into account country-specific factors like a nation’s capacity to issue secure identity documents, aims to enhance USCIS’s execution of President Trump’s Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10949. This proclamation aims to restrict the entry of foreign nationals to safeguard the US from foreign terrorists and other security threats. The update will enable USCIS officers to more effectively assess whether an alien poses a risk to public safety and national security.

This policy guidance is effective immediately and applies to requests pending or filed on or after 27 November.

What happened on 26 November near White House

A National Guard major, armed only with a pocket knife, intervened to stop gunman Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who had opened fire on two Guard members just blocks from the White House on Wednesday, 26 November, according to reports.

According to investigators, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan from Bellingham, Washington, reportedly travelled almost 3,000 miles across the country before carrying out the attack near the Farragut West Metro entrance around 2 pm at 17th and I Streets NW.

Which 19 countries are likely at risk?

In June 2025, the Trump administration issued an advisory restricting the travel of foreign nationals from 19 countries to the US, highlighting national security risks. The countries are —

(a) Afghanistan

(b) Burma

(c) Chad

(d) Republic of the Congo

(e) Equatorial Guinea

(f) Eritrea

(g) Haiti

(h) Iran

(i) Libya

(j) Somalia

(k) Sudan

(l) Yemen

(m) Burundi

(n) Cuba

(o) Laos

(p) Sierra Leone

(q) Togo

(r) Turkmenistan

(s) Venezuela