The Trump administration has implemented an indefinite freeze on all U.S. asylum decisions, a sweeping policy shift it attributes to a fatal shooting in Washington, D.C. The move has ignited fierce criticism from immigrant advocates and international bodies, who decry it as a disproportionate reaction that scapegoats vulnerable populations.
Following the shooting that killed National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an internal directive ordering officers to halt all asylum decisions. Joseph Edlow, the USCIS Director, stated the pause will remain "until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible". This freeze applies to all nationalities and prevents officers from approving, denying, or closing any asylum cases.
The asylum freeze is part of a broader crackdown. President Trump vowed to "permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries," though he did not define which nations this includes. The administration has also ordered a "full scale, rigorous reexamination" of every green card held by immigrants from a list of 19 "countries of concern". This list includes Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Venezuela, and Cuba. Additionally, the State Department has paused visa issuance for all individuals traveling on Afghan passports.
Administration officials have directly linked these policies to the alleged shooter, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal. Lakanwal, who worked with a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan, entered the U.S. in 2021 under a Biden-era resettlement program and was granted asylum in April 2025 under the Trump administration. Critics argue the administration is exploiting a single tragedy. Shawn VanDiver of the group #AfghanEvac stated officials are "using a single violent individual as cover for a policy they have long planned," punishing an entire community for one act.
The policy has drawn widespread condemnation. The United Nations human rights office reiterated that asylum seekers are entitled to protection and due process under international law. Legal experts question the vague, undefined nature of a "permanent pause" and predict court challenges. Furthermore, critics point to the rigorous vetting that already exists for asylum seekers and note that Lakanwal had been vetted multiple times by U.S. agencies. For the hundreds of thousands of immigrants and asylum seekers now left in limbo, the future is deeply uncertain.