The administration of US President Donald Trump has suspended the processing of all asylum applications and requests for immigration assistance submitted by citizens of 19 countries classified as “high risk.”
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website published a fact sheet about these measures.
According to the directive, agency officials are instructed to “suspend processing of all Forms I-589 (application for Asylum and Prevention of Removal) and related requests for assistance, regardless of the applicant’s nationality, pending completion of a comprehensive review.”
Based on an executive order signed by Trump on June 5, entry into the United States was prohibited for citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
In addition, the United States imposed restrictions for travel for citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. These countries are included in the “19 High Risk Countries” category identified in the fact sheet.
Assault in Downtown Washington
The Washington Police Department reported that on November 26 at approximately 2:15 p.m. local time, two National Guard troops stationed near the White House were shot at and the suspected shooter was detained. FBI Director Cash Patel said the suspect, believed to have acted alone, was taken into custody.
DC District Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the suspect is 29-year-old Afghan citizen Rahmanullah Lakanwal, and the injured National Guard soldiers are 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Andrew Wolf.
Pirro added that Lakanwal will be charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of Sarah Beckstrom, whom he targeted.
Suspect’s connection to the CIA
US media reported that Lacanwal began working with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) at the age of 15 in Afghanistan and was said to be “discomforted” by the losses caused by the actions of the unit in which he served.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said during a visit to the Dominican Republic that National Guard numbers in the capital would be increased following the attack and that President Donald Trump would send 500 more troops to Washington.