The US State Department has ordered all diplomatic posts to immediately stop processing visas for Afghan nationals, following the fatal shooting of two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday and another threat deterred in Texas, where an Afghan threatened to make a bomb and blow up a Fort Worth building. The directive was issued internally on Thursday.
The shooting claimed the life of West Virginia Army National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, who died from gunshot wounds to the head and chest. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. The alleged gunman is an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021 after the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
President Donald Trump, speaking shortly after Beckstrom’s death was confirmed, said every individual who entered the country under Biden’s Afghan evacuation operations should be reevaluated.
He described the shooting as evidence of severe failures in vetting during the 2021 withdrawal, when tens of thousands of Afghans were rapidly admitted through military airlift and humanitarian parole programs.
The State Department is now moving in alignment with the president’s directive. According to the internal notice, all posts are instructed to cancel pending visa applications for Afghan nationals and halt future processing until further guidance is issued.
Tommy Pigott, the State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson, said the administration is undertaking a “whole-of-government effort” to safeguard national security and that the pause is a direct response to the attack. He said the safety of Americans outweighs all other considerations and that the administration intends to reassess the procedures that allowed the suspect to enter the country.
The visa freeze marks the most decisive action taken so far in response to the shooting and signals a broad federal reexamination of Afghan immigration programs that began under the previous administration. It also raises immediate questions about the status of thousands of Afghans abroad who were still awaiting entry, including applicants who aided US forces during the 20-year war, which began after the terrorist attacks on the United States on 9-11.
The White House and State Department have not indicated how long the pause will remain in effect or what criteria will be used in the reevaluation process.
13 thoughts on “State Department orders end of visa processing for Afghan nationals after fatal shooting of National Guard”
Enough is enough: Deport ALL that have entered or remained in the country illegally. The same should occur in Europe. Western civilization is worth defending and honoring. Respect for those from elsewhere is a good thing but it is not a suicide pact.
The issue with the shooter is not his country of origin, it’s that he is mentally unstable, has grievances and easy access to weapons. Those same attributes apply to most mass or politically violent shooters.
Evan, I don’t know this shooter. Mental instability is a character set of certain individuals, who can be vetted out of consideration for admission to the U.S. if the vetting is handled well. Grievances can be vetted out as well. I support 2A, and as far as I’ve seen, attempts to restrict access always take rights away from innocent upstanding citizens while the criminal class keeps theirs. Vet the criminals.
And yet if he wasn’t imported here during the Biden Administration botched withdrawal from Afghanistan he wouldn’t have been able to shoot two National Guard members who were doing their duty for our country. While you want to blame the mental stability of an individual (who clearly should not have been here), whatever grievances you imagine he had, and an inanimate object; the blame lies with the individual taking the actions and those who enabled his actions.
And Steve-O, by “those who enabled his actions” can you include Trump for being stupid enough to put the National Guard there?
Evan,
Please explain your thought process and how you get to President Trump enabling the actions of a gunman by deploying National Guard to restore public order and safety. Are you saying that President Trump knew that a former Afghani would shoot members of the National Guard if they were deployed to DC and so he chose to put them in front of the barrel of this guys gun?
Trump’s performative deployment of National Guard troops to DC was based on a lie. DC, despite its crime stats, has plenty of law enforcement capacity. The NG was neither needed or wanted. They were not there to restore order and safety. But it made Trump look tough, like he is doing something about crime, like he cares. He does not. He cares about two things: supremely, HIMSELF, above all else. Second RETRIBUTION against anyone who he believes challenged his greatness. Doesn’t give a shit about DC crime rates. So he brought the NG in as a dick-waving stunt. Had they not been there, Beckstrom would be alive. If you throw a partially full barrel of fuel on a blazing bonfire (Kodiak incident), and it explodes, the guilt lies with you.
I am in NO WAY defending the shooter. Like all, murderers in mass and political shootings, he is mentally unstable, full of grievance and had easy access to weapons.
If you were attempting to explain your thought process about President Trump enabling the actions of a gunman by deploying National Guard to restore public order and safety, you failed miserably. You are blaming the victims of this crime for being in the way of a bullet and literally blaming the person who deployed them to the area they were assigned to instead of blaming the gunman for his actions. In fact you didn’t even try to explain why you thought Trump enabled the gunman, you just deflected using ad hominem attacks…while once again finding yourself obsessed with male genitalia, which is a reoccurring theme with you for some reason.
By the way, the crime rates in DC have plummeted since the National Guard was deployed to restore public order and safety there. You are blaming someone who is not in anyway responsible for this tragedy and by doing so you are defending the shooter, by casting blame elsewhere you are defending the actions of the person that is responsible.
You can do better Evan, I’m sure of it.
So Evan here is an interesting sidebar. This shooter lived in Washington State, 3000 miles from DC, but in spitting distance to the ICE/Federal facilities in Portland or Seattle. Why drive all the way to DC? There are national guard deployments much closer to home. This to me is clearly a statement making political act. Why else go so far out of your way. The vetting was done by the Biden people and they need to shoulder the responsibility for slip-shot work. This person highlights the dangers of wholesale admittance, instead of careful INDIVIDUAL vetting processes.
It should be pointed out that the federal government has jurisdiction over DC and enhancing police with national guard is prudent, not stupid. Keeping the peace and tranquility are functions enumerated in our constitution. You should read it some time.
“You should read it sometime” . …There is a huge difference between reading and intelligent comprehension.
Gold star top of the line graduates from our most prestigious and over the top expensive learning “Institutions” have an issue with understanding or even accepting our constitution and bill of rights.
Just look at the number of democrat politicians who argue those documents are “shot full of racism”.
Alaska’s own Forrest Dunbar as well as his soon to be anointed wife by the Anchorage Assembly are two prime examples.
“Why drive all the way to DC? “. I wonder that too.
“Stupid”?
Dont forget the stupidity when the radical prisoner was released from prison who immediately killed Thirteen soldiers by strapping a bomb to himself.
Oh wait a minute that was Trumps predecessor Joseph “Autopen” Biden….not his fault for being a mishandled puppet.
Steve-O. You purposely misinterpreted my explanation of Trump’s lie that brought the NG to DC. I suppose keeping to a chosen narrative requires some creativity.