WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced it is halting all asylum decisions following a shooting involving National Guard members in Washington, D.C. earlier this week, ABC News reported Friday.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said all asylum decisions are being halted “until we can ensure that every alienis vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”
President Donald Trump had announced Thursday on social media that he will “permanently pause migration” from certain countries as a response to the incident.
However, he did not specify which countries would be affected, referring to them as “Third World Countries” in a social media post.
The State Department has also “immediately” paused issuing visas for travelers with Afghan passports.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a statement on social media, saying, “President Trump’s State Department has paused visa issuance for ALL individuals traveling on Afghan passports. The United States has no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people.”
Charges against the Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members was upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia announced Friday.
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24 were hospitalized in critical condition after the Wednesday afternoon shooting near the White House. Trump announced Thursday evening that Beckstrom had died.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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