The Trump administration has begun resuming the processing of certain asylum applications after a sweeping halt triggered by a deadly shooting involving National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
The freeze, imposed in late November, followed an attack in which an Afghan national who had entered the United States under humanitarian parole allegedly shot two National Guard members, killing one. In response, the administration ordered an indefinite suspension of asylum cases handled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, citing national security concerns.
Under the revised approach, authorities are now allowing asylum claims from applicants whose home countries are not subject to existing travel bans or heightened immigration restrictions. However, individuals from 39 countries—including Afghanistan, Somalia, Nigeria, Iran, Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela—remain affected by the suspension, with their applications still on hold.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed that “USCIS has lifted the adjudicative hold for thoroughly screened asylum seekers from non high-risk countries.” The agency added that the adjustment would allow officials to focus resources on “continued rigorous national security and public safety vetting for higher-risk cases.”
The administration has maintained broader restrictions on applicants from the listed countries, extending the pause to other immigration benefits such as work permits, green cards and citizenship requests.
Officials have defended the measures as necessary to strengthen vetting procedures and address potential security risks. At the same time, immigration advocates have criticized the policies, arguing they unfairly target individuals who are attempting to follow legal pathways.
The partial rollback comes amid mounting scrutiny of the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy, which has included expanded federal operations in several U.S. cities and has drawn public protests in recent months.
