The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced an immediate and indefinite suspension of all immigration requests from Afghan nationals—including asylum, parole, family reunification, and visas—pending a comprehensive review of security and vetting protocols.

This follows the ambush-style shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House.

The decision, posted on USCIS’s official X account, came hours after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, allegedly opened fire on Sgt. Elias Ramirez and Spc. Jordan Hayes during a patrol in downtown Washington. Both soldiers remain in critical condition. Lakanwal, who entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome program and was granted asylum earlier this year, was wounded in return fire and arrested at the scene. His humanitarian parole had expired in September, leaving him undocumented at the time of the attack. Investigators recovered a 9mm handgun and found searches on his phone related to troop movements, though no motive has yet been confirmed. The FBI is treating the case as potential domestic terrorism.

President Donald Trump, in a video address from Mar-a-Lago, condemned the assault as “an act of evil, hatred, and terror” and ordered a reinvestigation of every Afghan entrant admitted under the prior administration. “We must reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan,” he said, vowing no mercy for threats to American safety. The suspension aligns with his broader immigration crackdown, including earlier reviews of refugee programs.

Refugee advocates expressed alarm at the sweeping halt, warning of humanitarian fallout for tens of thousands of Afghans who aided U.S. forces during the 2021 withdrawal. Naomi Steinberg, policy director at HIAS, called the move “devastating for those who risked everything for America.” Afghan-American groups urged caution to avoid stigmatizing allies, noting Lakanwal’s past service with U.S. Special Forces against the Taliban.

Political leaders across the spectrum offered prayers for the victims. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser described the incident as a “targeted assault in broad daylight.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune and former President Barack Obama condemned the violence, while West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey corrected earlier reports of fatalities, confirming the guardsmen remain alive but critically injured at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

The suspension adds to recent immigration shifts, including a cap of 7,500 refugee admissions for fiscal 2026, largely allocated to white South Africans, and a broader review of Biden-era entries. As the FBI’s joint task force continues its investigation, the freeze underscores mounting tensions over national security and refugee vetting in the post-Afghanistan era.