Did Trump try to block asylum to Afghan in April 2025
Executive summary
President Trump’s administration paused all asylum decisions nationwide and stopped issuing Afghan visas in late November 2025 after a suspected Afghan shooter’s arrest; multiple outlets report the suspect applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted asylum in April 2025 under the Trump administration [1] [2] [3]. Sources also show the administration suspended Afghan immigration applications and said it would review Biden-era cases, while advocacy groups and some officials dispute claims about vetting [2] [4] [5].
1. What happened in April 2025 — the narrow fact
Multiple news organizations report that the Afghan suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, applied for asylum in December 2024 and that his asylum claim was approved on April 23, 2025 — a decision recorded during President Trump’s administration [2] [1] [3]. Those outlets present the April approval as a documented administrative action, not as mere political rhetoric [2] [1].
2. Trump’s policy response in November 2025
In the wake of the Washington, D.C., shooting of two National Guard members, the Trump administration announced a sweeping pause on all asylum decisions and halted visa issuance for Afghans; senior officials said they would review Afghan immigration files and Biden-era asylum approvals [3] [6] [4]. Reuters and other outlets reported that all immigration applications by Afghan nationals were suspended pending review [2] [7].
3. How media and officials described the April approval
Major outlets such as CNN, Reuters and CNN Politics explicitly reported that the suspect’s asylum application was granted in April 2025 under the Trump administration [8] [2] [1]. Some White House and Trump allies framed the approval as proof of vetting failures under past administrations, while the administration simultaneously moved to review those very decisions [8] [2].
4. Competing narratives about vetting and responsibility
Officials in the Trump administration blamed prior Biden-era vetting gaps tied to the 2021 Operation Allies Welcome evacuations, even while acknowledging this suspect’s asylum approval occurred after Trump took office [4] [1]. Advocates and some sources push back: resettlement groups note asylum and refugee pathways involve multiagency vetting — fingerprinting, iris scans, interviews and background checks — and warn that the acts of one individual should not define entire populations who were vetted [5] [6].
5. Broader policy moves in April 2025 referenced in reporting
Reporting shows the Trump administration made other immigration moves in April 2025, including ending Temporary Protected Status for some countries and steps affecting parole and resettlement programs; advocacy groups and legal challengers say those moves targeted Afghan allies and reduced protections [9] [10]. Those earlier policy changes provide context for why later asylum approvals and suspensions drew intense scrutiny [10].
6. What the sources do not say
Available sources do not provide full administrative case files or the complete evidentiary record explaining why that particular asylum claim was approved in April 2025; they summarize dates and administrative outcomes reported by officials and advocacy groups but do not reproduce the underlying adjudication documents [2] [1]. Available sources do not mention any court rulings specifically overturning or validating that April decision in the public record cited here [2] [3].
7. Why this matters politically and legally
The juxtaposition — an asylum grant dated April 2025 and a later presidential order to pause asylum adjudications — allows political actors to argue competing lines: opponents say the administration approved problematic cases; defenders note that the case was processed through existing screening and that pauses affect many unrelated applicants [1] [5]. Reuters and others show the administration’s pause extended beyond Afghan cases to a broader review of Biden-era asylum approvals, signalling a systemic policy shift rather than a single-case exception [2] [3].
8. Bottom line for readers
The factual record in major news reporting is clear: the suspect applied in 2024 and, according to several outlets, his asylum claim was approved in April 2025 during the Trump administration [2] [1] [3]. At the same time, the administration’s post-shooting policy — pausing all asylum decisions and freezing Afghan visas — reflects an immediate, broad reaction that has sparked legal and advocacy pushback about vetting, fairness and precedent [3] [6] [5].