Summary:
- Trump is halting all asylum decisions after the shooting death of guardsman.
- Industry groups have long supported the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act.
- Hospitality is the sixth-largest U.S. industry and employs a significant number of immigrants.
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION is halting all asylum decisions following the shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Meanwhile, industry associations have advocated for legislation such as the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act to address the growing labor shortage.
Joseph Edlow, USCIS director, said in a post on X Friday that asylum decisions would be paused “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” according to The Guardian.
The announcement came as charges against the man accused of shooting the two guardsmen were upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia said Friday. Investigators are still seeking a motive.
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were hospitalized after the Wednesday afternoon shooting near the White House. Trump announced Thursday evening that Beckstrom had died.
The U.S. attorney’s office said charges against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan war, now include first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, The Guardian reported.
“I will permanently pause migration from all Third World countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover, terminate millions of Biden’s illegal admissions—including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s autopen—and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He did not specify which countries would be included or define the term “Third World,” but said the ban would also apply to refugees approved under the Biden administration.
USCIS confirmed Wednesday that it had suspended the approval process for all Afghan nationals seeking immigration status, according to FOX News. Department of Homeland Security officials said Trump had ordered a review of refugee approvals issued under the Biden administration and of Green Cards granted to nationals from 19 countries, the Associated Press reported.
This could affect the hospitality industry, which has lobbied for expanded immigration pathways to fill more than 1 million job vacancies. Travel supported 15 million U.S. jobs and directly employed 8 million in 2024, about one-third of them immigrants, Reuters reported in June.
An OysterLink study found that from 2010 to 2023, the number of immigrant workers in the U.S. hospitality sector grew by 17.9 percent. In 2023, the sector employed three million foreign-born workers, who now make up 31 percent of the country’s hospitality workforce, making hospitality the sixth-largest industry for immigrant employment in the U.S.
Trump also said he would end welfare and financial aid for non-citizens, revoke the citizenship of immigrants deemed to undermine public safety and deport foreign nationals considered a public burden, security risk, or incompatible with Western civilization.
One of AHLA’s top advocacy priorities has been passing the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act, which would allow asylum seekers housed in hotels to begin working 30 days after applying for asylum.
In 2023, in recognition of World Refugee Day, Marriott International pledged to hire more than 1,500 refugees in Europe by 2026, in addition to its commitment to hire the same number in the U.S. by 2025.
