Washington D.C. – President Donald Trump has confirmed that the suspension of asylum application decisions will remain in effect for an extended period. This announcement follows a recent attack near the White House, allegedly carried out by an Afghan immigrant, against two members of the National Guard.
Speaking to reporters, President Trump stated that no specific timeline has been set for the policy’s duration. He emphasized that the measure is connected to a list of 19 countries that have previously been subject to travel restrictions. “We don’t want these people… many of them were not good, and they shouldn’t be in our country,” the President stated.
The Trump administration initially implemented the suspension following an incident on November 26th, in which National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed, and another was seriously injured. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was subsequently apprehended and charged with first-degree murder.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a component of the Department of Homeland Security, halted all asylum adjudications to ensure that every asylum seeker undergoes the most thorough vetting and screening processes possible. This decision also follows President Trump’s social media posts where he declared his intention to end all federal benefits for “non-citizens,” revoke the citizenship of “immigrants who undermine internal security,” and deport “any foreign national who is a burden on the state, a danger to security, or incompatible with Western civilization.”
Following the shooting in Washington, the Trump administration pointed to alleged security vetting deficiencies during the previous administration. However, official documents indicate that Lakanwal was granted asylum during President Trump’s prior term in April. He arrived in the United States in 2021 as part of the large-scale evacuation effort led by the Biden administration after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, assisting Afghans who had aided U.S. forces during the war.
Reports indicate that Lakanwal previously worked within an Afghan unit supported by the Central Intelligence Agency.
