Washington, Nov. 29 -- The United States on Friday announced an "immediate halt" to the issuance of visas for individuals travelling on Afghan passports and paused all asylum applications, following a deadly shooting in Washington, D.C., that left one National Guard member dead and another critically injured.
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the freeze is intended to ensure that every applicant is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X that the State Department has "IMMEDIATELY paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports," adding that the administration is taking "all necessary steps to protect U.S. national security and public s...