Washington, D.C., US – The United States said on Friday it will halt all asylum decisions following the shooting of National Guard members near the White House.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow said asylum decisions would be paused ‘until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.’

“The safety of the American people always comes first,” Edlow posted on X.

The decision follows President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would halt migration from what he called ‘third world countries’.

The move is the latest immigration policy change after two National Guard soldiers were shot while deployed to Washington, D.C., as part of the administration’s crime crackdown.

After an Afghan man shot and killed one National Guard member and wounded another in the US capital, authorities said they were reviewing all green cards issued to individuals from 19 countries.

The government also paused all immigration applications related to Afghan nationals and began a review of asylum cases approved under the previous Biden administration.

The State Department also paused issuing visas to individuals traveling on Afghan passports, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday.

DW