The United States government has suspended all visa issuance for individuals travelling on Afghan passports, following the fatal shooting of a U.S. Army National Guard member by an Afghan national.
The Department of State announced the decision in a post on X on Saturday, saying the measure takes effect immediately.
“The Department of State has IMMEDIATELY paused visa issuance for individuals travelling on Afghan passports,” the statement read.
It added that the government is taking “all necessary steps to protect U.S. national security and public safety.”
The suspension follows the death of U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who was shot on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who arrived in the U.S. in 2021. The White House confirmed her death on Friday.
Beckstrom, 20, and another National Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, 24, were deployed to the capital as part of a federal initiative to address rising crime rates — a plan defended by former President Donald Trump despite controversy. Both victims underwent emergency surgery. Wolfe remains in critical condition.
Authorities said Lakanwal drove across the country before opening fire on the two National Guard officers with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.
He sustained non-life-threatening injuries and has been charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill and illegal firearm possession, according to reports by Al Jazeera.
U.S. officials say the FBI is investigating the shooting as a potential act of terrorism.
The incident has reignited political tensions over immigration, with Trump issuing a strongly worded Thanksgiving statement on Friday calling for an immediate and permanent halt to migration from what he described as “all Third World Countries.” He blamed immigration for social decay, crime, and pressure on public resources.
The State Department’s latest suspension marks one of the most sweeping U.S. restrictions on Afghan nationals since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.