- The freeze applies to 19 countries already subject to U.S. travel restrictions.
- Lakanwal, CIA-backed veteran, charged with first-degree murder.
- Officials blame weak Joe Biden-era air screening for shooter’s entry.
US President Donald Trump said Sunday his administration intends to maintain a pause on asylum decisions for “an extended period of time” after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members near the White House, killing one of them.
When asked to clarify how long the measure would last, Trump said he had “no time limit” in mind for the measure, which the Department of Homeland Security said is linked to a list of 19 countries already facing U.S. travel restrictions.
“We don’t want these people,” Trump continued. “You know why we don’t want them? Because many haven’t been good and they shouldn’t be in our country.”
The Trump administration imposed a pause following the shooting in Washington on Nov. 26, which left 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom dead and another guard seriously injured.
A 29-year-old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with this incident.
Lakanwal was part of a CIA-backed “partner force” fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan and entered the United States under a resettlement program following the 2021 U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal was granted asylum in April 2025, during the Trump administration, but officials blamed what they called lax oversight by the administration of Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, for his admission to U.S. soil during the Afghan airlift.
Trump wrote after the shooting that he planned to “permanently suspend migration from all third world countries to allow the American system to fully recover.”
Asked about the nationalities that would be affected, the Ministry of Internal Security stressed AFP to a list of 19 countries – including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran and Myanmar – all of which since June have faced travel restrictions to the United States.
Radicalized in the United States
Authorities believe Lakanwal was only radicalized after arriving in the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday.
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and ABC’s “This Week,” Noem said authorities believe the suspected shooter was already living in Washington state when he became radicalized. Investigators are seeking more information from family members and others, Noem said.
Noem’s comments suggest that Lakanwal, who was part of a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan, may have embraced extremism after arriving in the United States.
“We believe he has become radicalized since he has been here in this country,” Noem told NBC News. “We believe it’s through connections in his home community and in his state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, who were members of his family.”
Noem said officials had received “some input” so far from people who knew Lakanwal and warned that the United States would pursue anyone linked to the shooting.
“Anyone who has information about this should know that we will pursue you and we will bring you to justice,” Noem said.
After Wednesday’s attack, the Trump administration took steps to crack down on some legal immigration, including freezing the processing of all asylum applications.
Noem said Sunday that immigration officials would consider deporting people with active asylum cases if it was warranted.
“We will examine every person whose asylum application is pending,” she said.
