US pauses visas for all Afghan passport holders, halts asylum requests

The US State Department has announced it is “immediately” pausing issuing visas for individuals traveling on Afghan passports to protect “public safety”, as President Donald Trump administration’s immigration crackdown intensifies in the wake of a deadly attack on two National Guard members.

The announcement on Friday came as United States immigration authorities said they are also halting decisions on all asylum applications for the foreseeable future.