ASIAN AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE CONDEMNS DC ATTACK, DECRIES SUSPENSION OF AFGHAN IMMIGRATION, AND DENOUNCES ISLAMOPHOBIA

 ASIAN AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE CONDEMNS DC ATTACK, DECRIES SUSPENSION OF AFGHAN IMMIGRATION, AND DENOUNCES ISLAMOPHOBIA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, (Washington, D.C.), NOVEMBER 28, 2025—This week, a shooting in Washington, D.C. claimed the life of a National Guard member and left another critically injured. In response, the Trump administration announced a blanket suspension of all immigration requests from Afghan nationals.  

Asian Americans Advancing Justice, a network of four independent Asian American civil rights organizations, issues the following statement:  

“Asian Americans Advancing Justice grieves the act of violence and offers condolences to the family of the National Guard member who did not survive a senseless shooting in Washington, D.C. We offer our hope for swift recovery for the other National Guard member who is critically injured. Violence has no place in our communities. 

At the same time, we strongly oppose the Trump administration’s decision to suspend all immigration requests from Afghanistan. A ban on Afghan individuals seeking lawful immigration is unconscionable. It is dangerous to undermine our legal principles by allowing discriminatory racial profiling. The blanket halt to Afghan immigration processing punishes the very people who have been risking their lives to aid and support American military and diplomatic efforts for more than two decades. This unjust policy seeks to thrust them back into persecution and risk of death. The re-examination of those who have already entered the U.S. is an unprecedented campaign of racial and ethnic profiling. Afghan immigrants should not be collectively punished for the alleged actions of one person. 

We are deeply concerned by the immediate surge in anti-Muslim and anti-Afghan rhetoric that has ensued. Recent history proves moments of Islamophobic scapegoating fuels hate, violence, discrimination, increased surveillance, profiling, and attacks on the civil liberties of Muslims, those perceived to be Muslim, and other communities of color. Individuals from Afghanistan, like all other asylum seekers, underwent extensive security vetting by the Trump administration before being granted asylum this year. Asian Americans Advancing Justice stands firmly with all Muslim communities and specifically Afghan refugees, asylum seekers, and immigrants who are once again being targeted and blamed for the actions of one individual.  

We call on the administration to: 

1. Immediately reverse the blanket suspension of Afghan immigration and ensure constitutional due process and humane immigration processing for all immigrants is protected. 

2. Publicly reject Islamophobic rhetoric and condemn hate incidents, harassment, and threats against Muslim and Afghan communities. 

3. Prioritize protection for Afghans whose lives remain at risk because of their past work with the United States, their advocacy for democracy and human rights, or their membership in persecuted groups. 

4. Stop dehumanizing immigrants and inciting prejudice that creates a climate where hate becomes normalized, and immigrants must live in fear. 

One of America’s strengths lies in its commitment to Constitutional rights, not in collective punishment based on ethnicity or national origin.