The United States has suspended refugee and resettlement programs for citizens of third countries, citing national security as the primary reason. The decision follows direct orders from President Donald Trump, according to CNN. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the programs will remain halted until additional security vetting is complete.
“We have suspended refugee programs for individuals whose security checks are still pending,” USCIS Director Joe Edlow said, emphasizing that protecting the American public remains the department’s top priority.
President Trump reaffirmed his intention to permanently block immigration from developing nations. “I will permanently halt immigration from every Third World country. Anyone who does not benefit America will be removed,” he said.
He also accused Somali refugees of trying to disrupt Minnesota and criticized Democratic leaders for their immigration stance. According to the BBC, Trump’s use of “Third World” referred to economically weak and developing nations.
Previously, the Trump administration imposed travel restrictions on citizens of several countries in Africa and Asia, including Afghanistan. A travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries was also implemented during his first term. The latest suspension comes shortly after a shooting near the White House that left two National Guard members critically injured.
Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) reports that more than 2.2 million asylum seekers were awaiting entry into the United States as of August 2025.
Washington, D.C. Shooting Leaves One National Guard Officer Dead; Trump Orders New Visa Restrictions
One of the two National Guard members wounded near a metro station close to the White House died while receiving treatment. Twenty-year-old Sarah Beckstrom succumbed to her injuries on Thursday, while 24-year-old Andrew Wolf remains in critical condition, Reuters reported.
The FBI is leading the investigation. Beckstrom joined the National Guard in June 2023 and served with the 863rd Military Police Company under the 111th Engineer Brigade of the West Virginia Army National Guard. Her high school issued a statement expressing grief. President Trump spoke virtually with Beckstrom’s family and said he was willing to attend her funeral if requested.
The shooter was immediately detained. National Guard personnel nearby responded to the gunfire and shot the attacker four times. Acting Executive Assistant Chief of the D.C. Police, Jeffrey Carroll, identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national. He was also injured but is not in life-threatening condition, according to AP.
Sources said Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden administration’s “Operation Allies Welcome,” which resettled about 76,000 Afghans following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Many had worked as translators or interpreters for U.S.
military and diplomatic teams. AP reported that Lakanwal had been living in Washington state. He is married with five children and previously served around 10 years in the Afghan military, including a period at a Kandahar base where he reportedly worked alongside U.S. Special Forces.
Following the shooting, President Trump imposed new visa restrictions on Afghanistan and ordered a strict re-verification of Green Cards issued to citizens of 19 countries considered security-sensitive.
CNN reported that the countries include Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
