Trump Administration Partially Lifts Nationwide Asylum Adjudication Freeze While Keeping Hold for About 39 High‑Risk Countries
The Trump administration has partially lifted its nationwide asylum adjudication freeze, allowing USCIS to resume decisions for "thoroughly screened" asylum seekers from non‑high‑risk countries while keeping the hold in place for roughly three dozen (about 36–40) nations labeled "high risk." The November 2025 pause — tied by the administration to an Afghan national’s alleged shooting of two National Guardsmen — affected about 4 million asylum applications; separate pauses remain on issuing immigrant visas for 75 countries and on immigration applications from nations in the expanded travel ban, and USCIS has begun re‑reviewing some refugee cases admitted under the Biden administration with referrals to ICE.
📌 Key Facts
- DHS has partially lifted the nationwide asylum adjudication hold: it removed the freeze for thoroughly screened asylum seekers from non‑high‑risk countries while keeping the hold for about 36–40 countries labeled 'high risk' and subject to U.S. travel restrictions.
- The administration's high‑risk list includes (among others) Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Niger, Yemen, Syria, Somalia and Sierra Leone.
- The November 2025 pause affected roughly 4 million asylum applications handled by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is responsible for addressing the backlog.
- DHS explicitly tied the November 2025 adjudication freeze to a specific incident: an Afghan asylee allegedly murdered one West Virginia National Guardsman and gravely wounded another near Washington’s Farragut Square.
- A DHS spokesperson said maximum screening and vetting continue and that the screening process itself is not changing — only the adjudicative hold for thoroughly screened applicants from non‑high‑risk countries has been lifted.
- Separate pauses remain in place, including a freeze on issuing immigrant visas for 75 countries and on all immigration applications from countries covered by the administration's expanded travel ban.
- USCIS has begun re‑reviewing refugee cases admitted under the Biden administration, with some cases referred to ICE for possible deportation; media reporting (including The Hill) says the practical impact of the partial unfreezing is expected to be limited even as it slightly eases the overall restrictive environment.
📊 Relevant Data
In fiscal year 2024, the top countries for U.S. asylum approvals included Afghanistan with an 85.1% approval rate, Cameroon with 82.5%, Syria with 79.6%, and Venezuela with 77.2%, indicating that several high-risk designated countries account for a significant portion of granted asylums.
Asylum Statistics USA: Approval Rates by States & Top Countries — Docketwise
In 2024, approximately 40% of forcibly displaced people globally, including those seeking asylum, were children under 18 years of age, with U.S. refugee arrivals showing 39,150 under 18 out of total admissions.
Net international migration to the U.S. dropped from over 1 million in 2024 to historic lows in 2026, caused by decreased immigration and increased emigration, resulting in the first decline in the foreign-born population since the 1960s.
New Population Estimates Show Decline in Net International Migration — U.S. Census Bureau
Key causes of migration from high-risk countries include violence and persecution, with many asylum seekers from regions like Africa and the Middle East citing war and political upheaval as primary drivers.
The largest refugee crises to know in 2026 — Concern Worldwide US
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- DHS explicitly ties the November 2025 asylum adjudication freeze to a specific incident: an Afghan asylee allegedly murdering one West Virginia National Guardsman and gravely wounding another near Washington’s Farragut Square.
- A DHS spokesperson stresses that 'maximum screening and vetting for all aliens continues unabated' and that the stringent screening process itself is not changing, only the adjudicative hold for thoroughly screened applicants from non‑high‑risk countries.
- The Fox piece lists some of the approximately 39 countries still deemed high‑risk — including Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Niger, Yemen, Syria, Somalia and Sierra Leone — and notes the administration’s framing that earlier security gaps allowed some people to be naturalized who 'should not have been.'
- The article highlights that The Hill has reported the practical impact of this partial unfreezing is expected to be limited, even as it 'eases the overall restrictive environment.'
- NPR reports that DHS has now lifted its ban on reviewing asylum applications for many applicants while maintaining the adjudication hold for 36 countries labeled 'high risk' and subject to U.S. travel restrictions.
- The article reiterates that the November 2025 Trump administration pause affected some 4 million asylum applications at USCIS.
- NPR links the original November 2025 adjudication halt directly to an Afghan national’s alleged shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., framing it as part of a wider post‑attack immigration crackdown.
- Confirms DHS has lifted the adjudicative hold specifically for 'thoroughly screened asylum seekers from non high‑risk countries,' while maintaining it for about three dozen to 40 countries labeled 'high risk.'
- Reiterates that roughly 4 million asylum applications were affected by the November 2025 pause and that USCIS is the agency handling the backlog.
- Notes that separate pauses remain on issuing immigrant visas for 75 countries and on all immigration applications from countries covered by the expanded travel ban.
- Adds that USCIS has begun re‑reviewing refugee cases admitted under the Biden administration, with some cases referred to ICE for possible deportation.