The United States has frozen every pending asylum ruling after the killing of a National Guard soldier in Washington DC, a move officials say will remain in place until new screening checks are confirmed.
Joseph Edlow, who leads the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, told reporters the pause would continue until authorities feel certain that every applicant is reviewed to the highest possible standard. The announcement surfaced only hours after President Donald Trump vowed to impose a permanent pause on migration from what he called third world countries.
The shift marks a sharp escalation in migration policy during Trump’s second term and has already drawn criticism from rights groups and UN officials.
The halt affects all nationalities and touches every asylum request currently awaiting a ruling. Officers can continue routine work on files but may not approve or deny any claim. The freeze comes amid rising political tension following Wednesday’s shooting, which left one service member dead.
Officials say the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who entered the US in 2021 through a special pathway created for Afghans who worked with American forces during the long conflict in Afghanistan.
Trump linked the suspension to the Washington shooting and repeated his long standing argument that the US must remove anyone he believes does not contribute to the country. In a post on Truth Social, he accused refugees of worsening social problems and promised to strip noncitizens of federal benefits.
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He wrote that migration from all third world countries would remain paused until the US system could recover. The term third world has historic roots and was widely used to describe poorer developing nations, although it is now viewed as outdated.
The administration had already paused immigration processing for Afghans on Wednesday, saying protocols were under review. On Thursday, the immigration agency confirmed that it would also recheck green cards issued to people from nineteen countries. A June proclamation listed Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia and Venezuela among them.
USCIS staff received written instructions not to sign off on any asylum claim. Guidance reviewed by CBS News indicated that officers may gather information and prepare files, yet cannot make a final ruling. A spokesperson declined to specify which nationalities might be affected by the proposed future travel pause.
UN representatives urged the US to respect international agreements. A deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary general told Reuters that all countries should honour obligations under the Refugee Convention.
Jeremy McKinney, head of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the administration was punishing migrants without evidence that nationality played any role in the attack. Speaking to BBC World Service, he noted that motives in violent incidents rarely align with origin.
US officials said Lakanwal had worked with an Afghan intelligence unit known as the Zero Units, which partnered closely with the CIA. The agency’s current director has confirmed that Lakanwal had earlier worked with US officers.
A senior US official told CNN that Lakanwal would have been screened both before joining the unit and again when he travelled to America. A childhood friend told the New York Times that Lakanwal had shown signs of mental health struggles linked to the strain of his previous service.
The asylum freeze will remain in effect while officials map out updated vetting rules. The White House is expected to publish further details about how the migration pause will be enforced and which countries might ultimately be affected.
