WASHINGTON – In a sweeping move to bolster national security, the Trump administration has imposed an indefinite hold on all pending asylum applications nationwide and suspended immigration benefit requests from nationals of 19 designated "high-risk" countries, according to a policy memorandum released Tuesday by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The directive, which affects over 1.4 million asylum seekers and countless green card and naturalization applicants, signals a dramatic intensification of the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda, triggered by last week’s fatal shooting of two National Guard members in the nation’s capital.
The four-page memo, posted on the USCIS website and dated December 2, 2025, instructs agency personnel to immediately “place a hold on all Forms I-589 (Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal), regardless of the alien’s country of nationality, pending a comprehensive review.” This blanket pause extends beyond the targeted nations, halting adjudications for applicants from every corner of the globe as officials conduct what USCIS Director Joseph Edlow described as a “full-scale” reevaluation of vetting protocols. For individuals from the 19 specified countries, the hold applies to a broad array of benefits, including green card applications, work authorizations, and citizenship proceedings, irrespective of when the applicant entered the United States.
The policy further mandates a “comprehensive re-review of approved benefit requests” for nationals of these countries who arrived in the U.S. on or after January 20, 2021—the inauguration date of former President Joe Biden. Those individuals, numbering in the hundreds of thousands according to preliminary USCIS estimates, may face renewed interviews or re-interviews to “fully assess all national security and public safety threats.” The memo acknowledges potential delays but prioritizes security, stating that “the burden of processing delays... is necessary and appropriate... when weighed against the agency’s obligation to protect and preserve national security.”
At the heart of the restrictions are countries listed in Presidential Proclamation 10949, signed by President Donald Trump on June 4, 2025, which imposes full entry bans on nationals from 12 nations—Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—and partial bans on seven others: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. The proclamation, effective June 9, 2025, was framed as a response to inadequate information-sharing from these governments, high visa overstay rates, and elevated terrorism risks, drawing on authority under Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Exceptions include immediate family visas with DNA verification and certain diplomatic or humanitarian cases, but waivers remain rare and discretionary.
This latest directive builds on a series of post-election immigration actions by the Trump administration, which assumed office in January 2025. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, confirmed by the Senate in a 59–34 vote on January 25, 2025, has spearheaded the effort, emphasizing a return to “core mission” priorities of border security and vetting. Noem met with Trump on Monday to recommend expanding travel restrictions to additional nations linked to “criminal activity” in the U.S. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump’s support, stating that Noem’s proposals would “widen and cover more countries,” with a forthcoming announcement expected from the Department of Homeland Security.
The timing of the USCIS memo is inextricably linked to the November 26, 2025, ambush-style shooting near the White House that claimed the life of U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and left U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, in critical but improving condition. The attack occurred blocks from the Farragut West Metro station, where the West Virginia National Guard members were patrolling as part of a Trump-ordered deployment to combat urban crime. Beckstrom, who enlisted in June 2023, succumbed to her injuries the following day; Wolfe showed positive signs by responding to commands as of December 1.
The suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was identified by federal authorities within hours of the incident. Lakanwal, a Pashtun from Khost Province born February 9, 1996, entered the U.S. in September 2021 amid the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, initially under humanitarian parole before applying for asylum in 2024—a request granted in April 2025 under the nascent Trump administration. Prior to his evacuation, Lakanwal served in Unit 03, a CIA-backed “Zero Unit” counterterrorism squad in Kandahar, conducting high-risk raids against Taliban targets. He had collaborated with multiple U.S. entities and underwent extensive initial vetting, yet associates noted his post-resettlement struggles with isolation, limited English proficiency, and mental health challenges in Bellingham, Washington, where he lived with his wife and five children.
Lakanwal drove cross-country to D.C., armed with an unregistered revolver, and allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” as he fired four rounds at the guardsmen. A third guardsman returned fire, critically wounding Lakanwal, who was hospitalized and appeared virtually in D.C. Superior Court on Tuesday from his hospital bed, pleading not guilty to first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill, and related charges. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro described the incident as causing “sheer terror,” ordering Lakanwal held without bond pending a January 14 hearing. The FBI is investigating it as a potential terrorism case, though no formal motive has been confirmed; relatives expressed shock, citing Lakanwal’s prior service alongside Americans.
President Trump addressed the nation from Palm Beach, Florida, on November 26, labeling the shooting the “single greatest national security threat” and vowing to “reexamine every single alien from Afghanistan” admitted under Biden. He requested 500 additional National Guard troops for D.C. and reiterated calls for a “permanent pause” on migration from “Third World countries.” The USCIS memo explicitly references the attack, alongside a 2024 Oklahoma election-day plot by another Afghan national, as evidence of “what a lack of screening, vetting, and prioritizing expedient adjudications can do to the American people.”
Immigration advocates decried the policy as “collective punishment,” arguing it destabilizes families and ignores the suspect’s Trump-era asylum approval. Legal challenges are mounting; a federal lawsuit filed by 102 affected nationals alleges the proclamation exceeds presidential authority and violates the Administrative Procedure Act. Within 90 days, USCIS plans a prioritized list for enforcement referrals, potentially accelerating deportations.
Under Noem’s tenure, DHS reports over 2 million undocumented removals in 2025, including 168,000 arrests and 600 Tren de Aragua gang members. Yet, with a 1-million-case USCIS backlog, critics warn of humanitarian crises. As Noem pushes for broader bans, the policy underscores Trump’s vision: America First, at any cost.
