Following a shooting involving an Afghan National Guard member in Washington D.C., the Trump management has moved to halt all refugee processing and considerably restrict visas for Afghan nationals. The policy shift, announced November 29th and accompanied by the former President’s invocation of broad presidential authority over immigration, raises questions about the fate of Afghans who aided U.S. military efforts. The administration also signaled a potential broadening of immigration restrictions, with talk of ending immigration from a number of nations already subject to travel limitations.
‘The President can block the entry of foreigners when he deems it harmful to national interests’ SNS post
Visa issuance for Afghan nationals ‘completely halted’… Claims for ‘permanent cessation of immigration from Third World countries’ also emerge
29일(현지시간) 주 방위군들이 미국 워싱턴의 내셔널몰을 순찰하고 있다. 로이터연합뉴스
The Trump administration has announced an indefinite suspension of all refugee processing, a move prompted by a recent shooting involving a member of the Afghanistan National Guard in Washington D.C. The decision signals a hardening of immigration policies and raises concerns about the fate of Afghan nationals who assisted the U.S. military.
On November 29th, former President Trump posted the full text of Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act on his Truth Social platform. The provision grants the President the authority to suspend or restrict the entry of foreign nationals deemed detrimental to U.S. interests.
The post was interpreted as a reinforcement of recent policy decisions by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the State Department. Joseph Edlow, Director of USCIS, announced on X, formerly Twitter, that “all refugee decisions are paused until we can ensure that we are vetting and screening all applicants to the fullest extent possible.” The State Department subsequently halted visa processing for Afghan nationals, including those applying for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) – a program for individuals who aided the U.S. military in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Trump administration’s move to tighten immigration enforcement follows revelations that Ramunulla Rakhmanwal, the Afghan national accused of shooting two members of the Washington D.C. National Guard on November 26th, entered the U.S. in September 2021 as part of “Operation Allies Welcome,” a program designed to resettle Afghan allies.
Following the shooting, Trump stated that Rakhmanwal entered the country under the Biden administration and called for a review of all foreign nationals who arrived from Afghanistan during that period. USCIS subsequently suspended all immigration processing related to Afghan nationals.
Furthermore, Trump stated on November 27th that he would “permanently end immigration from Third World countries.” According to Reuters, the “Third World countries” referenced by Trump are the 19 nations subject to full or partial travel bans imposed by the State Department in June. These include Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Sudan.
The Trump administration’s actions effectively close all legal pathways for Afghan nationals who assisted the U.S. during the war to enter the country. Sean VanDiver, President of the Afghan Evacuees, a group supporting Afghan resettlement in the U.S., released a statement arguing that “the administration is using one violent individual as a pretext for a long-planned (immigration) policy.”
Rakhmanwal is accused of killing Sergeant Sara Bedsworth of the West Virginia National Guard and seriously injuring Andrew Wolfe. He served in the Afghan Army during the war and cooperated with the CIA. He initially applied for an SIV during the Biden administration but faced lengthy delays, subsequently filing for asylum this year, which was approved after Trump took office.
