Original Date Announced

USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow announced on Twitter that "USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible." The announcement follows the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., which was allegedly perpetrated by an Aghan man granted asylum earlier this year.

Trump 2.0 [ID #2111]

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.11.29 Reported: Officials told to pause all asylum decisions in wake of National Guard shooting - CBS News

CBS News reported that USCIS asylum officers "were instructed to refrain from approving, denying or closing asylum applications received by the agency." The guidance reportedly stated that the pause applies to all asylum cases, and that officers could continue asylum application interviews and review cases up to the point of making a decision.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.12.02 USCIS PM 602-0192 - Hold and Review of all Pending Asylum Applications and all USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from High-Risk Countries

USCIS issued a policy memorandum directing USCIS personnel, among other things, to place a hold on all asylum applications, “regardless of the alien’s country of nationality, pending a comprehensive review.” Noncitizens will be required to undergo a thorough re-review process, including a potential interview and, if necessary, a re-interview “to fully assess all national security and public safety threats.”

As justification, the memorandum references EO 14161, “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorist and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” and the recent National Guard shooting. It states that the guidance is necessary “to ensure that all asylum applicants … do not pose a threat to national security or public safety,” and that the hold will remain in effect until lifted through a subsequent memorandum.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.03.05 Complaint - Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS

A coalition of immigrant service organizations and labor unions filed a lawsuit challenging USCIS policies as announced in three memoranda: 1) PA-2025-26, "Impact of INA 212(f) on USCIS’ Adjudication of Discretionary Benefits"; 2) PM-602-0192, "Hold and Review of all Pending Asylum Applications and all USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from High-Risk Countries", and 3) PM-602-0194, "Hold and Review of USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from Additional High-Risk Countries." The complaint describes four policies emanating from the memoranda: 1) the “Global Asylum Hold” indefinitely halting all affirmative asylum adjudications; 2) the “Benefits Hold” freezing adjudications of immigration benefit applications for people from the countries listed in Proclamations 10949 and 10998; 3) the “Comprehensive Re-Review” requiring the government to re-review previously approved immigration benefits; and 4) the “Country-Specific Factors Policy” instructing immigration officers to treat a person’s country of origin as a negative factor when deciding discretionary immigration benefits. 

Plaintiffs allege that these policies violate the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), and the due process and equal protection guarantees of the Constitution. The complaint seeks preliminary and permanent injunctive relief and asks the court to vacate the challenged policies. Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, No. 1:26-cv-00132 (D.R.I.).

**Link to case here. Our litigation entries generally report only the initial complaint and any major substantive filings or decisions. For additional information, CourtListener provides access to PACER and all available pleadings. Other sites that track litigation in more detail or organize cases by topic include Civil Rights Clearinghouse, Justice Action Center, National Immigration Litigation Alliance, and Just Security**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.03.30 USCIS - Update on USCIS' Strengthened Screening and Vetting

USCIS issued an update on its screening and vetting efforts pursuant to USCIS PM-602-0192, PM-602-0193, and PM-602-0194. USCIS states that it established an internal process for lifting holds on individual or group cases, and has lifted holds for the following groups: noncitizens vetted through Operation PARRIS; certain petitions filed by US citizens; intercountry adoption forms; certain rescheduled oath ceremonies; statutory and regulatory decision issuance; refugee registrations for South African citizens/nationals; certain special immigrant visa petitions; certain employment authorization documents; and asylum applications from non-high-risk countries. USCIS states that it will continue to review all application types and lift holds for both individual and group cases “as appropriate.”

USCIS also states that it has reviewed and updated screening and vetting practices, and is continuing to develop a layered vetting plan as well as further guidance.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.03.30 Reported: Trump administration scaling back asylum crackdown enacted after D.C. National Guard shooting, sources say - CBS News

CBS News reports that DHS is scaling back a sweeping asylum crackdown imposed after a 2025 shooting involving an asylum seeker, which had indefinitely suspended all asylum applications outside of immigration court. Officials framed the pause as a national security measure and are reportedly resuming adjudication for applicants from "non-high-risk" countries. The freeze on asylum adjudication, as well as other immigration benefits, continues for nationals from 39 countries subject to travel restrictions.