USCIS halts 'all asylum decisions' after DC shooting of National Guard members
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Friday that it has halted all asylum decisions following the shooting in Washington, D.C., in which an Afghan national was accused...
By Fox News · Fox News
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Friday that it has halted all asylum decisions following the shooting in Washington, D.C., in which an Afghan national was accused of shooting two National Guard members, including one who died from her injuries. USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow said the asylum decisions would be suspended "until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible." "The safety of the American people always comes first," he wrote on X. The pause comes amid a broader immigration crackdown signaled by President Donald Trump , who on Thursday vowed to halt migration from "Third World countries" and reverse Biden-era admissions. STATE DEPARTMENT 'IMMEDIATELY' HALTS ALL AFGHAN PASSPORT VISAS FOLLOWING DEADLY NATIONAL GUARD ATTACK Edlow said on Thursday that officials would reexamine green cards issued to immigrants from every "country of concern," including Afghanistan. USCIS also implemented new national security measures to be considered while vetting immigrants from "high risk" countries. "I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern," he wrote. The Department of Homeland Security also said it had already halted all immigration requests from Afghanistan and was in the process of reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration. Additionally, the Department of State has paused all visas for people traveling on Afghan passports in response to the attack against the National Guard members. "The Department of State has IMMEDIATELY paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports," the agency wrote. "The Department is taking all necessary steps to protect U.S. national security and public safety." National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of West Virginia, died after the shooting on Wednesday in the nation's capital, while the second service member wounded in the attack, Andrew Wolfe…