Trump says US freeze on asylum decisions will last 'a long time'

• Freeze applies to 19 countries already under US travel restrictions.
• Lakanwal, ex-CIA-backed fighter, charged with first-degree murder.
• Officials blame weak Joe Biden-era airlift vetting for shooter's entry.

US President Donald Trump said Sunday his administration intends to maintain a pause on asylum decisions for "a long time" after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members near the White House, killing one of them.

When asked to specify how long it would last, Trump said he had "no time limit" in mind for the measure, which the Department of Homeland Security says is linked to a list of 19 countries already facing US travel restrictions.

"We don't want those people," Trump continued. "You know why we don't want them? Because many have been no good, and they shouldn't be in our country."

The Trump administration issued the pause in the aftermath of the shooting in Washington on November 26, which left 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom dead and another guard critically wounded.

A 29-year-old Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection with the incident.

Lakanwal had been part of a CIA-backed "partner force" fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, and entered the United States as part of a resettlement program following the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Lakanwal had been granted asylum in April 2025, under the Trump administration, but officials have blamed what they called lax vetting by the government of Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, for his admission to US soil during the Afghan airlift.

Trump wrote after the shooting that he planned to "permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover."

Asked which nationalities would be affected, the Department of Homeland Security pointed AFP to a list of 19 countries -- including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran and Myanmar -- which since June have all faced travel restrictions to the United States. 

Radicalised in US

Authorities believe the Lakanwal was not radicalised until after he came to the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday.

Speaking on NBC's "Meet the Press" and ABC’s "This Week," Noem said authorities think the alleged shooter was already living in Washington state when he became radicalised. Investigators are seeking more information from family members and others, Noem said.

Noem's comments suggest Lakanwal, who was part of a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan, may have embraced extremism after arriving in the United States.

"We believe he was radicalised since he's been here in this country," Noem told NBC News. "We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we're going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, who were his family members."

Noem said officials have received "some participation" so far from people who knew Lakanwal and warned the US would pursue anyone connected to the shooting.

"Anyone who has the information on this needs to know that we will be coming after you, and we will bring you to justice," Noem said.

After Wednesday’s attack, the Trump administration took steps to clamp down on some legal immigration, including a freeze on the processing of all asylum applications.

Noem said on Sunday, immigration officials would consider deporting people with active asylum cases if it was warranted.

"We are going to go through every single person that has a pending asylum claim," she said.