Washington DC [US], November 28 (ANI): The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued a fresh set of guidelines in wake of the shooting of two national guards by an Afghan person on the eve of Thanksgiving in the United States. The new policy guidance would authorise USCIS officials to consider country-specific factors from 19 countries when reviewing immigration requests.

In an official statement released on Thursday (local time), the USCIS said, that it will consider relevant country-specific factors when using its broad discretionary authorities regarding aliens from 19 high-risk countries after halting refugee resettlement from Afghanistan and the entry of Afghan nationals in the first year of the Trump administration.

This comes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard service members in Washington, DC, Wednesday by an Afghan national.

USCIS, which comes under the Department of Homeland Security said in the statement that the policy guidance is effective immediately and applies to requests pending or filed on or after November 27.

USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said, 'Yesterday's horrific events make it abundantly clear the Biden administration spent the last four years dismantling basic vetting and screening standards, prioritizing the rapid resettlement of aliens from high-risk countries over the safety of American citizens. The Trump administration takes the opposite approach. Effective immediately, I am issuing new policy guidance that authorizes USCIS officers to consider country-specific factors as significant negative factors when reviewing immigration requests. American lives come first.'

In a post on X, he mentioned that US would rigorously now re-examine Green Cards issued to aliens from every country of concern.

https://x.com/USCISJoe/status/1994114271844676047?s=20

USCIS said in the statement that the updated guidance, including consideration of country-specific factors, will further strengthen USCIS' implementation of President Trump's Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10949, Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats, and allow USCIS officers to more meaningfully assess whether an alien is a threat to public safety and national security.

US President Donald Trump has announced the demise of one of the two National Guard soldiers wounded in the recent shooting that occurred blocks away from the White House.

The deceased National Guard soldier has been identified as US Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who hailed from West Virginia.

'Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the guardsmen that we're talking about, highly respected, young, magnificent person, started service in June of 2023, outstanding in every way. She's just passed away,' CNN reported Trump as saying in a Thanksgiving call to service members on Thursday (local time).'She's no longer with us. She's looking down at us right now,' Trump said.

'As you know, the other young man is fighting for his life. He's in very bad shape. He's fighting for his life. And hopefully we'll get better news with respect to him,' CNN reported Trump as saying while referring to 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, the other victim in Wednesday's shooting.

Earlier, Trump denounced the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House, describing it as a 'horrific assault' and 'an act of terror,' as federal agencies continued to investigate the attack that took place a day before Thanksgiving.

The deceased National Guard soldier has been identified as US Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, who hailed from West Virginia.

The shooting occurred at close range in central Washington, prompting a swift reaction from the administration. Addressing reporters, Trump criticised former president Joe Biden's earlier immigration policies, claiming the suspect had entered the United States from Afghanistan in 2021, and referring to the Asian country as a 'hellhole.'

Authorities identified the accused as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who arrived in 2021. Officials believe he acted alone. Citing information from Homeland Security, Trump again noted that the suspect was Afghan. (ANI)