US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration plans to maintain a nationwide pause on asylum decisions “for a long time,” following the fatal shooting of two National Guard members near the White House.
Trump said he has “no time limit” for lifting the suspension, which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says applies to nationals of 19 countries already under US travel restrictions.
“We don’t want those people,” Trump said. “Many have been no good, and they shouldn’t be in our country.”
The policy shift comes in response to the Nov. 26 shooting that killed 20-year-old guardsman Sarah Beckstrom and critically injured another officer.
Authorities have charged 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal with first-degree murder.
Lakanwal, a former member of a CIA-backed militia fighting the Taliban, entered the United States through the Afghan resettlement programme after the 2021 US withdrawal.
He was granted asylum in April 2025 under the Trump administration. However, officials have blamed what they described as weak vetting during the Biden-led evacuation for his initial admission.
After the attack, Trump said he intended to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries” to allow the US immigration system to “recover.”
DHS said the asylum pause affects citizens of 19 nations currently subject to restrictions, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, and Myanmar.
