State Department Expands Visa Pause to Afghan Passport Carriers

The State Department has paused all visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X.

“The United States has no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people,” Rubio wrote, reposting an announcement from the State Department.

“The Department is taking all necessary steps to protect U.S. national security and public safety,” the department wrote.

The decision follows the fatal shooting of West Virginia National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and the shooting of Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe by Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who came to the U.S. in 2021 under the Biden administration program Operation Allies Welcome. Lakanwal in 2024 applied for asylum, which the Trump administration granted earlier this year.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Wednesday announced it would stop processing all immigration requests from Afghan nationals in response to the shooting, and the latest announcement expands that pause.

This is a breaking news story. Updates will follow.