The Trump administration on Wednesday said that the processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals would be suspended "effective immediately," hours after two members of the National Guard were shot in Washington.
"Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols," the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a post on X.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that the shooting of two members of the National Guard near the Farragut West Metro station, not far from the White House, on Wednesday afternoon was an "act of terror," and that the suspected shooter had come from Afghanistan in 2021. Officials said the two National Guard members were in critical condition.
"Based on the best available information, the Department of Homeland Security [DHS] is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan - a hell hole on Earth," Trump said in a video address from Palm Beach, Florida.
Trump went on to blame his predecessor, Joe Biden, saying the suspect "was flown in by the Biden administration in 2021... his status was extended under legislation signed by president Biden."
According to US broadcaster CNN, the suspect applied for asylum in 2024, when Biden was still president, but the request was granted by the Trump administration in April 2025. Trump took office in January 2025.
Trump said that "every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden" must now be re-examined. "We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country."
