Trump Administration Scaling Back Asylum Crackdown Enacted After D.C. National Guard Shooting, Sources Say

March 30, 2026

TL;DR

The Trump administration is reducing a crackdown on asylum applications that had halted hundreds of thousands of applications.
The pause was enacted after an Afghan man granted asylum allegedly shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., one of whom died.
The pause is being lifted for most cases, except for those from 39 countries affected by a travel ban.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that asylum adjudication is lifted for thoroughly screened asylum seekers from non high-risk countries.
The suspension of other legal immigration applications from these 39 nations remains in place.
Administration officials state policies are to combat fraud and national security concerns, while advocates accuse them of punishing legal immigrants.

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