US President, Donald Trump has announced that his administration intends to keep a pause on asylum decisions in place for a long time, stating he has no time limit in mind for lifting the measure. The policy freeze was implemented in the aftermath of a deadly shooting near the White House on November 26, 2025, which resulted in the death of 20-year-old National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded another. The President made his intentions clear regarding the pause, which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has linked to a list of 19 countries already facing US travel restrictions.We dont want those people, Trump stated. You know why we dont want them? Because many have been no good, and they shouldnt be in our country. The DHS confirmed to reporters that the affected nationalities include citizens from countries such as Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, and Myanmar, which have been subject to travel restrictions since June. The asylum freeze was implemented immediately following the Washington D.C. shooting. A 29-year-old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the incident. Lakanwal had entered the United States as part of a resettlement program following the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Despite being part of a CIA-backed "partner force" fighting the Taliban, he had been granted asylum in April 2025during the current Trump administration. Following the event, the President pointed blame at what officials termed lax vetting by the previous administration for Lakanwal's admission to the country during the 2021 Afghan airlift.The President had previously signaled his hardline stance on immigration, writing after the shooting that he planned to permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover. The current, indefinite freeze on asylum decisions for the 19 listed countries appears to be the first significant step toward that goal.
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