US suspends Afghan immigration following White House shooting incident

The United States has announced an immediate and indefinite suspension of all immigration processes involving Afghan nationals, citing the need for a thorough reassessment of current security and vetting protocols.

This decision puts a temporary stop to visa applications, asylum petitions and other immigration routes for Afghans until the review concludes.

The development follows a shooting incident on Thursday, in which two National Guard personnel were attacked by an Afghan national near the White House.

According to an official statement, safeguarding the homeland and ensuring the safety of Americans remain the government’s “singular focus and mission."

Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.

The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and…

— USCIS (@USCIS) November 27, 2025

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump identified an Afghan man who had fled the Taliban as the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House, describing the attack as “an act of terror."

In a short video message, Trump linked the episode to three polarising political issues — the domestic deployment of military forces, immigration policy, and the aftermath of the United States’ two-decade-long war in Afghanistan.

The broad-daylight shooting, which left two Guard members critically injured just two blocks from the White House, was denounced by Trump as “an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror," noting that “It was a crime against our entire nation." He also stated that the individual apprehended “was a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan."

Trump said the suspect had arrived in the U.S. in 2021 “on those infamous flights," a reference to the evacuation of Afghans who escaped the country after the Taliban regained control during the withdrawal of American forces. The attack, carried out near a busy metro station during peak hours, has intensified scrutiny of Trump’s contentious deployment of military personnel in several Democrat-run cities, including Washington, Los Angeles, and Memphis — an approach that has prompted lawsuits and accusations of federal overreach.

Trump’s comments further signalled a tougher stance on immigration. “We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan" under former president Joe Biden, he said. He added, “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. If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them."