THEDAILYFREEDOM.COM COMMITTED TO REVEALING THE TRUTH!
Related Articles
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a nationwide halt to all decisions on asylum applications, following a shooting that targeted two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
A senior immigration official confirmed the move, saying no asylum decisions will be finalized until every asylum seeker currently in the United States undergoes what the administration calls the “highest level” of vetting.
Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said in a post on X on Friday that all decisions related to asylum claims will remain suspended until that enhanced screening is complete for every foreign national seeking protection in the country.
The announcement comes as prosecutors intensify charges against the suspect accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House. One of the soldiers has since died, leading authorities in Washington, D.C. to upgrade the case to include a charge of first-degree murder. Investigators say they are still working to determine a motive.
The victims were identified as Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolf, 24, both members of the West Virginia National Guard. They were shot and critically wounded on Wednesday afternoon near the White House while on duty.
Trump said Thursday night that Beckstrom had died from her injuries.
The suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is now facing one count of first-degree murder and two counts related to attempted murder with a weapon.
Officials say Lakanwal had previously worked with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the war in Afghanistan.
According to the office of Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who spoke to Fox News, prosecutors are preparing to file additional charges against Lakanwal. Pirro expressed condolences to Beckstrom’s family, saying the young soldier had “volunteered to serve her country” and was killed on the streets of Washington while fulfilling that duty.
Authorities say Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, about 80 miles (130 km) north of Seattle, according to his former landlord, Christina Widman.
Officials confirmed that Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 under “Operation Allies Welcome”, a program launched by the Joe Biden administration after the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan to resettle at-risk Afghans, including those who worked with American forces.
Although Lakanwal applied for asylum during Biden’s presidency, his asylum was ultimately approved under the Trump administration, officials said.
Trump has seized on the attack to renew his hardline stance on immigration and Afghan resettlement.
He has labeled the shooting a “terrorist attack” and claimed that his predecessor, President Joe Biden, “created this problem” by allowing Afghans who worked with the United States during the war to enter the country.
The president further declared that he wants to “permanently stop immigration from poor countries” and deport millions of people already in the United States.
On Wednesday night, Trump also called for a fresh investigation into the vetting process for the roughly 76,000 Afghan refugees brought into the country under Operation Allies Welcome. Many of them had served as interpreters and translators for U.S. forces.
Critics of the program, including Trump and his allies, argue there were serious gaps in the background checks. Human rights advocates, however, insist the screening process was already strict and that the program provided a vital lifeline to Afghans at risk of Taliban reprisals.
Edlow’s announcement means that no asylum decision—approval or denial—will move forward until the administration’s new standard of “maximum-level” vetting is met for all applicants.
“As long as every foreign national seeking asylum in the United States cannot be vetted at the highest level, all asylum-related decisions will remain suspended,”
— Joseph Edlow, Director, USCIS
The freeze is expected to deepen the backlog in an already overwhelmed asylum system and could leave tens of thousands of people in prolonged legal and humanitarian limbo.
Beckstrom and Wolf were part of the West Virginia National Guard, deployed to Washington, D.C. as part of Trump’s broader “crime-fighting” mission and his drive to ramp up mass deportations of undocumented migrants. Courts, however, have repeatedly challenged and blocked elements of those efforts.
West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey said Friday that Wolf remains in “extremely critical condition” and that state flags will be flown at half-mast to honor Beckstrom.
Investigators say they are working “around the clock” to determine Lakanwal’s motive. Search warrants have been executed in Washington state, where he lived, as well as in several other locations across the country.
As the investigation continues, the Trump administration’s sweeping decision to freeze asylum decisions is likely to inflame an already polarized debate over immigration, refugee resettlement, and America’s obligations to those who once risked their lives to work alongside U.S. forces.
