USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the updated approach aims to restore vetting measures he argued had been weakened in recent years. The United States has stopped handling all immigration requests linked to Afghan nationals, and officials have introduced stricter vetting rules that now apply to 19 high-risk countries in the wake of a deadly shooting involving an Afghan citizen in Washington, DC.
According to Reuters, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced late on Wednesday that it had indefinitely suspended the processing of all immigration applications connected to Afghan nationals.
The agency did not specify how long the halt would remain in place.
19 high-risk countries
In a separate statement, USCIS introduced new guidance that permits officers to weigh negative, country-specific factors when evaluating applications from people originating from 19 high-risk countries. Director Joseph Edlow said the updated approach aims to restore vetting measures he argued had been weakened in recent years.
“My primary responsibility is to ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” Edlow said. “This includes an assessment of where they are coming from and why. Yesterday’s horrific events make it abundantly clear the Biden administration spent the last four years dismantling basic vetting and screening standards, prioritising the rapid resettlement of aliens from high-risk countries over the safety of American citizens. The Trump administration takes the opposite approach.”
He added that, effective immediately, USCIS officers are authorised to use country-specific circumstances as “significant negative factors” when assessing an application, saying: “American lives come first.”
Wider enforcement
USCIS said the revised rules strengthen its enforcement of Presidential Proclamation 10949, which restricts entry by foreign nationals deemed potential national security or public safety threats. The agency noted that the new criteria include assessing the reliability of identity documents issued by an applicant’s home country.
The policy applies to cases pending or newly filed on or after 27 November 2025, according to USCIS.
President Donald Trump announced Thursday evening that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died from her injuries in Wednesday’s shooting. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained hospitalised in critical condition. They were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard to the nation’s capital as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-fighting mission that involved taking over the local police department.
