US resumes asylum claims paused after guard shootings

Hadriana Lowenkron, Bloomberg News on Mar 30, 2026

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WASHINGTON — The Trump administration will resume processing some asylum claims after a near-blanket halt of immigration paperwork for hundreds of thousands of people seeking refuge in the U.S.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has lifted the adjudicative hold for asylum seekers from countries that are deemed to be a lower risk, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said. The official added that maximum screening and vetting for foreigners seeking to enter the U.S. would continue.

The move applies to people from countries that aren’t subject to travel bans and other restrictions, according to a person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to discuss the parameters of the policy before it was announced. It ends a freeze imposed after an Afghan national in the U.S. on humanitarian parole shot two National Guard members.

Individuals from the 39 countries on President Donald Trump’s travel ban, including Senegal, Somalia, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Laos, Cuba, Haiti and others, still have their asylum paperwork on hold, the person said.

CBS News first reported on the administration move.

After one National Guard member was shot dead and another injured near the White House in November, the White House shut down asylum claims, one of a series of immigration restrictions that were criticized for relying on nebulous legal authority.

The shooter identified by authorities, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was evacuated from Afghanistan in 2021 around the time of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from that country. Lakanwal arrived in the U.S. under humanitarian parole.

The shooting spurred Trump to amplify his anti-immigration rhetoric, pledging to pause migration from “all Third World Countries,” “terminate” what he called “illegal admissions” under former President Joe Biden and end federal benefits for non-citizens.

The Trump administration has also restricted employment opportunities for asylum seekers, allowing the federal government to more regularly re-scrutinize applicants.

Trump also deployed Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents to multiple cities, including Minneapolis. The agents’ aggressive tactics and the killing of two Americans sparked huge protests that lasted nearly two months and captured the nation’s attention.

The White House pulled back some of its efforts as voters soured on the administration’s border enforcement agenda.

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(With assistance from Laura Davison.)