WASHINGTON: The US Department of State has immediately paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports following a shooting incident near White House in Washington involving a Afghan citizen.
The department made the announcement on social media platform, X, saying it is “taking all necessary steps to protect US national security and public safety”.
Earlier, the Trump administration announced on Thursday that it would review the immigration status of every permanent resident or “Green Card” holder from Afghanistan and 18 other countries following the attack on National Guard troops in Washington.
US officials have identified the detained suspect in Wednesday’s shooting as an Afghan national who previously worked with American forces in Afghanistan.
The 29-year-old suspect was granted asylum — not permanent residency — in April this year, according to AfghanEvac, a group that helped resettle Afghans in the United States after the 2021 Taliban takeover.
“I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,” said Joseph Edlow, director of the US Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS), on X.
When asked to specify to which countries Edlow was referring, a USCIS spokesperson pointed AFP to President Donald Trump’s June executive order classifying 19 countries as “of Identified Concern.”
The order banned the entry of almost all nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan.
The 11 other countries facing a travel ban were: Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Trump also imposed a partial ban on travelers from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Some temporary work visas from those countries are allowed.
