The United States immediately stops issuing visas to Afghan passport holders.

After an Afghan citizen was involved in a shooting incident near the White House in Washington, the US Department of State immediately halted the issuing of visas for travellers using Afghan passports.

The agency announced that it is “taking all necessary steps to protect US national security and public safety” on the social media site X.

Prior to the attack on National Guard troops in Washington, the Trump administration declared on Thursday that it would examine the immigration status of every Afghan and 18 other nationals who are permanent residents or “Green Card” holders.

The apprehended suspect in Wednesday’s shooting has been described by US officials as an Afghan national who has served with US soldiers in Afghanistan in the past.

According to AfghanEvac, a group that assisted in resettling Afghans in the United States following the Taliban takeover in 2021, the 29-year-old suspect was granted asylum in April of this year, but not permanent residency.

The director of US Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS), Joseph Edlow, stated on X, “I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”

A USCIS representative cited President Donald Trump’s June executive order designating 19 nations as “of Identified Concern” when asked to clarify which nations Edlow was referring to.

Nearly all citizens of 12 nations, including Afghanistan, were prohibited from entering the country by the order.

Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen were the other eleven nations where travel was prohibited.

Travellers from seven additional nations—Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela—were also partially barred by Trump.

From such nations, certain temporary work visas are accepted.