Trump administration officials are scaling back their unprecedented pause on asylum processing months after a deadly attack prompted them to pump the brakes.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is easing up on a months-long crackdown on asylum that left hundreds of thousands of applications at a grinding halt, according to details first reported by CBS News. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official confirmed the details to the Daily Caller News Foundation, noting that strict screening procedures still remain in effect.
“Under the leadership of President Trump, maximum screening and vetting for ALL aliens continues unabated,” a USCIS spokesperson told the DCNF. “USCIS has lifted the adjudicative hold for thoroughly screened asylum seekers from non high-risk countries.”
“This move allows resources to focus on continued rigorous national security and public safety vetting for higher-risk cases,” the spokesperson continued.
Shortly before Thanksgiving Day, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, allegedly opened fire at two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., killing West Virginia Army National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and leaving Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe in critical condition. DHS later confirmed that Lakanwal was originally brought into the U.S. in 2021 under humanitarian parole.
Immediately after the National Guard attack, federal immigration officials dramatically restricted asylum applications for all foreigners and completely halted immigration processes for individuals hailing from 19 countries deemed to be “high-risk.” Days later, USCIS announced it was scaling back the timeframe in which asylum seekers and other foreign nationals could have valid work permits in the U.S.
In early December, the Trump administration also announced the launch of a new vetting center in Atlanta. Designed to markedly upgrade the country’s vetting procedures of migrants, the new unit assists federal officials in identifying terrorists, criminal aliens and other foreign nationals who pose a danger to the U.S.
However, the Trump administration is now cooling off on the crackdown and lifting the asylum adjudication pause for a majority of cases, with the exception for applications filed by individuals from countries subject to a travel ban or other immigration restrictions relating to an earlier proclamation from President Donald Trump. The asylum freeze will remain in effect for foreign nationals from 39 different countries currently facing entry restrictions under a travel ban that the president expanded in December.
“The United States must exercise extreme vigilance during the visa-issuance and immigration processes to identify, prior to their admission or entry into the United States, foreign nationals who intend to harm Americans or our national interests,” the president stated in his December proclamation. “The United States Government must ensure that admitted aliens do not intend to threaten its citizens; undermine or destabilize its culture, government, institutions, or founding principles; or advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists or other threats to our national security.”
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