DC National Guard Shooting: Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
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Trump Administration Halts Immigration Applications from 19 Countries
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Welcome to The Logoff: the Trump administration is stopping all immigration applications from 19 countries in response to last week’s deadly shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC.
What’s Changing?
The pause covers 12 countries that were already under a travel ban imposed earlier this year, as well as seven others facing partial restrictions. Under the new policy, all green card and citizenship applications will be halted for immigrants from those countries. US Citizenship and Immigration Services also said that immigration cases dating back to the start of the Biden administration will be re-reviewed.
Affected Countries
The affected countries are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Context: The broader Immigration Crackdown
This is part of a broader immigration crackdown by the Trump administration in response to the DC shooting, including a pause on asylum applications. The shooting suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan national who worked with a CIA-backed paramilitary unit in his home country before entering the US in 2021.
Timeline of Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | Shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC. |
| [Date of declaration] | Trump administration announces halt on immigration applications from 19 countries. |
| Earlier in 2025 | Travel ban imposed on 12 of the affected countries. |
| 2021 | Rahmanullah Lakanwal enters the US. |