WASHINGTON – In the wake of the recent incident involving the shooting of two National Guard members in the capital, allegedly by an Afghan national, the Trump administration has swiftly introduced a series of measures aimed at tightening entry and residency for certain foreign nationals.
The administration has announced a temporary halt to asylum applications, a thorough review of green card requests from individuals hailing from so-called “countries of concern,” and a suspension of visa issuance for Afghans who had previously supported U.S. military operations.
Just prior to the shooting, a memo revealed by The Associated Press indicated that the administration planned to scrutinize the status of all refugees who arrived during the Biden administration.
These intensified immigration restrictions have sparked strong objections from refugee advocacy groups and organizations working with Afghan communities, who argue that the measures unfairly target entire groups and unnecessarily consume government resources by revisiting resolved cases.
The Trump administration defends these policies as vital for ensuring that those entering or currently residing in the U.S. do not pose security risks.
Below is a summary of the significant policy changes introduced over the past week:
All asylum decisions suspended
The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said on the social platform X last week that asylum decisions will be paused “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”
Besides the post, no formal guidance has been put forward, so details remain scarce about the planned pause.
People seeking asylum must show to U.S. officials a threat of persecution if they were sent back to their home country, whether because of race, nationality or other grounds. If they’re granted asylum, they’re allowed to stay in the U.S. and eventually apply for a green card and then citizenship.
The Afghan suspect in the National Guard shooting was granted asylum earlier this year, according to advocate group #AfghanEvac.
The right to apply for asylum was already restricted by the Trump administration. In January, Trump issued an executive order essentially halting asylum for people who have come into the country through the southern border. Those cases generally go through immigration courts which are overseen by the Department of Justice.
USCIS oversees the asylum process for foreigners the government isn’t trying to remove via immigration courts. While Trump’s January order didn’t affect those cases, Edlow’s social media post suggests they will now come under additional scrutiny. Edlow did not say how long the agency’s pause on asylum decisions would last or what happens to people while those decisions are paused.
Caseloads have been rising for all types of asylum applications. The number of asylum cases at USCIS rose from 241,280 in 2022 to a record 456,750 in 2023, according to the Office of Homeland Security Statistics.
A focus on countries ‘of concern’
On Nov. 27, Edlow said his agency was conducting a “full scale, rigorous reexamination” of every green card for people he said come from “every country of concern.”
“American safety is non negotiable,” Edlow said.
The agency said in a press release that same day that it was issuing new guidance that could make it tougher for people from 19 countries the administration considers “high-risk,” including Afghanistan, when they apply for immigration benefits such as applying for green cards or to stay in the U.S. longer.
The administration had already banned travel to the U.S. for citizens from 12 of those countries and restricted access for people from seven others.
No visas for Afghans
Other stricter stricter measures are also directed at Afghans.
On Nov. 26, USCIS said it would be suspending all “immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals.” That would affect Afghans already living in the U.S. who are applying for green cards or work permits or permission to bring family members to the U.S.
Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced late Friday on X that the State Department has temporarily stopped issuing visas for all people traveling on Afghan passports.
The Trump administration had already severely limited travel and immigration from Afghanistan. The one avenue that had remained open was the Special Immigrant Visa program. Created by Congress, it allowed Afghans who closely supported the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan and faced retribution because of their work to emigrate to America.
But the State Department’s announcement means even that avenue is now closed.
According to #AfghanEvac, a group that advocates for Afghans coming to the U.S., about 180,000 Afghans were in the process of applying for the SIV program.
A review of refugees admitted under the Biden administration
Even before the shooting of two National Guard members, the Trump administration was planning a sweeping review of tens of thousands of immigrants who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration as part of the U.S. Refugee Assistance Program.
That program, first launched in 1980, oversees the process by which people fleeing persecution can come to the U.S. Refugees are distinct from people seeking asylum, although they meet the same criteria. Refugees have to apply and wait outside the U.S. to be admitted while asylum-seekers do so once they reach the U.S.
Trump suspended the refugee program the day he took office and only a trickle of refugees have been admitted since then, either white South Africans or people admitted as part of a lawsuit seeking to restart the refugee program.
Then on Nov. 21, Edlow said in a memo obtained by The Associated Press that the administration was going to review all refugees admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration. That’s nearly 200,000 refugees.
Advocates say refugees already undergo rigorous vetting.
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