The Trump administration halted all immigration requests from Afghan nationals after the shooting near the White House that left two West Virginia National Guard members wounded. US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced the suspension on X, saying all Afghan-related applications were paused indefinitely while security and vetting procedures undergo review. The decision came hours after officials identified the suspect as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who arrived in 2021 through humanitarian parole and used a handgun in what authorities described as a street ambush.

The freeze on Afghan immigration fits into the broader shift in Trump-era policy, which has already placed refugee admissions at a record-low cap of 7,500 for fiscal year 2026 and ordered a review of every refugee admitted under the Biden administration. More than 200,000 Afghans in the US could be affected, including green card holders. Afghan arrivals had surged in 2021 when the US evacuated tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan after its withdrawal. About 85,000 were resettled under Operation Allies Welcome through a mix of Special Immigrant Visas, asylum claims, family-based applications and temporary protections like humanitarian parole or temporary protected status.

Humanitarian groups responded to the shooting and the policy freeze by warning against broad blame. AfghanEvac condemned the attack but stressed that Afghans resettled in the US undergo intensive screening and should not be targeted for one individual’s actions. The organization noted that many Afghans who supported US forces during the 20-year war face serious risks if forced to return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Critics say ending protections and pausing immigration leaves vulnerable people, including those who worked for the US government, exposed to persecution without offering a permanent path to safety.