Donald Trump’s immigration agenda is getting more forceful. And there’s no telling what could happen next.
And now the Trump administration is weighing rounding up this group of immigrants.
Trump Administration Launches Review of Afghan Nationals Admitted Under Biden
The Trump administration announced Monday it is conducting a comprehensive re-examination of all Afghan nationals who entered the United States during the Biden presidency, with a focus on national security risks and potential deportations.
White House Ties Review to Recent D.C. Shooting of National Guardsmen
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated during a briefing that “Any individual who threatens our national security or our citizenry will be subject to removal.”
She added: “President Trump has already permanently paused the migration of foreign nationals from third world countries that pose a very high risk to the United States. For too long, past American presidents supported self-destruction, self-destructive immigration policies that allowed foreigners who outright hate our country and have no interest in assimilating into our culture.”
The review follows the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and the critical wounding of 24-year-old Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe in Washington, D.C., last week.
The suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, allegedly carried out the attack. Lakanwal entered the U.S. in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era program for Afghans who assisted U.S. forces.
President Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, described the Wolfe family as “unbelievably great people” who want prayers for their son. Leavitt echoed this, saying: “Sarah and Andrew are heroes, and we will never forget their sacrifice.
That means ensuring the monster responsible for this atrocity is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and faces the most severe punishment possible. It also means reckoning with why this atrocity was allowed to happen in the first place, so that it may never occur again.”
Broader Immigration Pauses and Green Card Reassessments
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced Friday it has indefinitely halted processing of all immigration requests from Afghan nationals pending enhanced security and vetting reviews.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow directed a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern,” at President Trump’s request. The list includes 19 nations such as Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela.
The Afghan review covers refugees admitted from January 20, 2021, to February 20, 2025, including re-interviews where necessary.
Officials cited concerns that the Biden administration “potentially prioritized expediency, quantity, and admissions over quality interviews and detailed screening and vetting.”
The Department of Homeland Security has also expanded scrutiny to all asylum cases approved under Biden.
