White House shooting sparks big US action, Afghan immigration requests put on hold indefinitely

The United States announced late Wednesday (local time) that it had indefinitely stopped processing all immigration requests from Afghan nationals, after two National Guard soldiers were shot and critically wounded near the White House in Washington earlier in the day.

In a statement on X, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said, “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”

This move comes after US President Donald Trump called the shooting “an act of terror,” saying the suspect came from Afghanistan in 2021. It aligns with Donald Trump's call for his administration to re-examine Afghan immigrants who entered the United States when Joe Biden was President.

"The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission," the USCIS added.

The suspect in the shooting is believed to be an Afghan national, according to Trump and two law enforcement officials. He entered the United States in September 2021, after the chaotic collapse of the government in Kabul, when Americans were frantically evacuating people as the Taliban took control.

The 29-year-old suspect was part of Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era programme that resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US withdrawal from the country, officials said. The initiative brought roughly 76,000 Afghans to the United States, many of whom had worked alongside American troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators.

It has since faced intense scrutiny from Trump and his allies, congressional Republicans and some government watchdogs over gaps in the vetting process and the speed of admissions, even as advocates say it offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.

Trump described Afghanistan as “a hellhole on earth,” and he said his administration would review everyone who entered the country under President Joe Biden — a measure his administration had already been planning before the incident.

(With agency inputs)