ISLAMABAD – The US Department of State immediately suspended visas for all travelers with Afghan passports as authorities are “taking all-out steps to protect Americans.
The incident prompted the Trump administration to launch an unprecedented review of the immigration status of every Green Card holder from Afghanistan and 18 other countries. The attack, which targeted National Guard troops, raised alarms about security risks linked to foreign nationals living in the US.
Officials confirmed that the suspect is a 29-year-old Afghan national who previously worked with American forces in Afghanistan. AfghanEvac, the organization that aided his resettlement after the Taliban takeover in 2021, revealed he was granted asylum in April, not permanent residency.
Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Joseph Edlow announced full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern. USCIS pointed to President Trump’s June executive order labeling 19 nations as “of Identified Concern.”
The order restricted entry for most nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, while a partial ban affects seven more: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Temporary work visas from some of these nations remain allowed, but the U.S. is tightening scrutiny on all arrivals.
This sweeping crackdown comes amid heightened fears over national security and has sparked intense debate over America’s immigration policies.
