Trump says asylum freeze to last “long time” after fatal shooting

US President Donald Trump has signaled that his administration intends to maintain an indefinite pause on asylum decisions following a deadly shooting near the White House carried out by an Afghan national who had previously been granted asylum. 

Speaking to reporters, Trump said he had “no time limit” in mind for how long the pause might last, insisting it could continue “for a long time," Caliber.Az reports via The Guardian.

“We don’t want those people,” Trump said. “You know why we don’t want them? Because many have been no good, and they shouldn’t be in our country.”

The policy shift follows the November 26 shooting in Washington, D.C., in which 20-year-old US Army specialist Sarah Beckstrom was killed and 24-year-old US Air Force staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe critically wounded. Vigils have been held across West Virginia in their honour.

The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the United States in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era program that resettled Afghans who had worked with US forces. Lakanwal, who had previously worked with CIA-backed units in Afghanistan, applied for asylum during the Biden administration, and his claim was approved in April 2025 under the Trump administration, according to #AfghanEvac. 

Administration officials have cited the case as justification for an immediate halt and reassessment of asylum and green card procedures. DHS pointed to 19 countries—including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, and Myanmar—that have been under travel restrictions since June as those likely to be affected.

In a late-night response following the shooting, Trump also called for a full reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees admitted under Operation Allies Welcome, which brought roughly 76,000 Afghans to the United States after the 2021 withdrawal—many of them interpreters, translators, and others who assisted US forces.

By Sabina Mammadli