Trump administration says decisions paused until government can ensure ‘every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible’
The Trump administration has announced it is halting all asylum decisions in the wake of the National Guard shooting in Washington DC, according to a senior immigration official.
Joseph Edlow, the director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in a post on X on Friday that asylum decisions would be paused “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible”.
The announcement came as charges against the man accused of shooting two National Guard members have been upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the US attorney for the District of Columbia announced on Friday, while investigators continue to seek a motive.
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24 were hospitalized in critical condition after the Wednesday afternoon shooting near the White House. Donald Trump said on Thursday evening that Beckstrom had died.
