(Crankers) The Trump administration isn’t playing around anymore. Trump has ordered a temporary nationwide pause on all asylum decisions following the November 26 shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C.
The alleged gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the U.S. under humanitarian parole in 2021 and was granted asylum in 2024, is accused of carrying out the “targeted ambush” that left one National Guard member dead and another in critical condition.
According to an internal directive obtained by CBS News, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been instructed to stop issuing decisions on every pending asylum case. The pause applies to both affirmative asylum cases handled by USCIS and defensive asylum cases handled through the Department of Justice for individuals already in deportation proceedings.
The directive states that:
No asylum application can be approved, denied, or closed until further notice.
All scheduled decision-notification appointments have been canceled.
In-person asylum interviews may continue, but officers are barred from issuing a final determination.
The pause is indefinite and does not include a projected end date.
A senior USCIS official confirmed the authenticity of the internal memo, noting that the agency is undergoing new “screening and vetting procedures” following the D.C. attack.
The pause is part of a broader federal review of immigration screenings. Following the shooting, the administration announced that green-card applications and other immigration benefits for nationals from 19 “countries of concern” will undergo additional scrutiny. These include Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen, Venezuela, and several Middle Eastern and African nations.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution” and that the agency will re-evaluate security-screening systems tied to humanitarian parole and asylum vetting.
The shooting occurred near a Guard perimeter post in Washington, D.C., where two National Guard members were injured. Lakanwal was taken into custody shortly after the attack. Federal agencies, including the FBI, are investigating the incident.
The White House stated that the temporary halt on asylum decisions is intended to prevent security gaps while the administration reviews how individuals are screened before obtaining refugee or asylum protections.
USCIS has not indicated how long the pause will remain in effect. The Department of Homeland Security also has not said whether previously approved asylum cases will undergo additional review.
As the directive stands, tens of thousands of asylum applicants, including individuals in removal proceedings, will see their cases delayed until the review process is completed.
