The United States is freezing all asylum decisions, officials, as President Donald Trump hardens his anti- migrant stance after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members this week in Washington.  Wednesday's attack on the soldiers -- one of whom died from her injuries -- has ignited a fresh crackdown on foreigners in the United  States, with Trump also pledging to suspend migration from "third world countries."

Joseph Edlow, director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said his agency has "halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible."  That followed Trump's announcement late Thursday of plans to "permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover." 

Asked which nationalities would be affected, the Department of Homeland Security pointed AFP to a list of 19 countries -- including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran and Myanmar -- already facing US travel restrictions since June. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that the US had temporarily stopped issuing visas to all individuals traveling on Afghan passports. "The United States has no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people," he said.

The shooting has brought together three politically explosive issues: Trump's controversial use of the military on American soil, immigration, and the lingering legacy of the 20-year conflict in Afghanistan.  Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who allegedly opened fire on the guardsmen just a few blocks from the White House, had been part of a CIA-backed "partner force" fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. 

He entered the United States as part of a resettlement program following the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.  Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for Washington DC, said Friday that Lakanwal would be charged with murder over the attack.  Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member deployed in the US capital as part of what Trump called a crackdown on crime, died from her wounds. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)