USCIS Implements New National Security Measures in Light of November 26 DC National Guard Shooting

On November 27, 2025, USCIS announced new guidance for vetting noncitizens from 19 counties deemed “high risk” in a June 4, 2025 Presidential Proclamation. The new guidance was issued in response to the November 26, 2025 shooting of two D.C. National Guard service members by an Afghan recently granted asylum. The new guidance allows adjudicators to consider “negative, country-specific factors” when vetting individuals from the following 19 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Burundi, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, and Yemen. The policy guidance is effective immediately and applies to requests pending or filed on or after November 27, 2025. 

See the announcement from USCIS here.