WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security said Friday night that it is seeking to pause 2.2 million pending asylum cases in response to an Afghan asylee’s Thanksgiving eve attack on National Guard members near the White House.
The announcement follows the Trump administration launching a review of more than 720,000 current green-card holders from 19 “countries of concern” — after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, fatally gunned down Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically injured Andrew Wolfe, 24, near the White House.
Lakanwal, evacuated from Afghanistan in 2001 after working with the CIA as part of a “Zero Unit,” was granted asylum in April — which would have made him eligible for a green card 12 months later.
Alleged DC gunman Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was granted asylum in April and due for a green card next year. US Attorney’s Office/AFP via Getty Images
The State Department on Friday also paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports “in the wake of a horrific terror attack against the National Guard.”
“The Trump administration has no higher priority than ensuring the safety of Americans and has launched a whole-of-government effort to defend America’s national security,” Tommy Pigott, principal deputy spokesperson, said.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said on X that his agency “has halted all asylum decisions 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.”
It was not immediately clear how the pronouncement would impact people arriving at ports of entry claiming persecution in their homelands, or people with pending court dates before immigration judges, who make decisions on their claims.
Follow the latest on the National Guard shooting in Washington, DC:
Edlow previously announced Thursday that “[a]t the direction of [Trump], I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”
Trump, who did not immediately release his own statement on either development, wrote Friday that “Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation.”
President Trump, pictured Thursday, holding an image of Afghan evacuees from 2021, is clamping down on legal immigration after the asylee gunned down National Guard members in DC on Wednesday. AP
A senior White House official told The Post that plans for the green-card review in particular are “being worked on,” with the “details under discussion.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.
It’s unclear if a particular nation will be prioritized for scrutiny — or if the green-card holders will be asked to sit for interviews.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was fatally shot in the attack. Facebook / Gary Beckstrom
There are about 12.8 million green-card holders, who gain their lawful permanent residency status through employment, humanitarian relief or family ties. Country-specific information on current status holders is not publicly available for the 19 nations.
People with green cards — which grants the right to live and work in the US — are eligible to apply for citizenship after five years, though many don’t.
National Guard member Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically injured. Anthony Rowland/CBS News
DHS data tracks new annual green-card grants by nationality, allowing for a rough calculation of the population most likely under review.
Of the more than 720,000 people with lawful permanent residency from the 19 countries who gained status between fiscal years 2021 and 2025, the largest number are from Cuba (335,186), Afghanistan (123,017), Venezuela (73,900), Haiti (49,900) and Iran (35,853).
Trump, photographed Friday, did not immedaitely comment on the asylum pause. MEGA for NY Post
War-torn nations with current or historical links to terrorism are well-represented, including Yemen (25,457 green cards issued in the past five years), Sudan (12,218), Somalia (6,669) and Libya (2,228).
Others on the green-card review list include Burma (17,126), Burundi (6,323), Chad (838), the Republic of the Congo (2,704), Equatorial Guinea (196), Eritrea (8,094), Laos (2,762), Sierra Leone (7,220), Togo (7,914) and Turkmenistan (2,620).
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow announced both legal immigration clampdowns. AP
Some countries have relatively low rates of citizenship applications after five years of residency,
Although fewer than 50,000 Haitians were granted green cards over the past five years, more than 210,000 have permanent residency, as do 550,000 Cubans, despite just 61% arriving in the past five years — the only two nations of the 19 for which current green-card holdings are readily available.
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The actions against legal immigration processes follow the president’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration and termination of mass-parole policies of former President Joe Biden.
Southern border crossings surged under Biden, peaking at more than 301,000 illegal crossings in December 2024, with a broad array of nationalities, before bottoming out at fewer than 8,000 in July.
Trump vowed on Truth Social to terminate “millions of Biden illegal admissions … and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our country.”
He said he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.”