• Afghan nationals summoned to mandatory ICE appointments on December 25 and January 1 federal holidays
• DHS characterizes scheduling as routine despite timing when government offices and legal services closed
• Check-ins follow November National Guard shooting that triggered expanded immigration crackdown on Afghan community

WASHINGTON, DC (TDR) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has summoned Afghan migrants to mandatory check-ins on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, federal holidays when most government offices are closed and access to legal counsel is limited, according to letters reviewed by Bloomberg News and advocacy groups.

The notices, marked as “scheduled report check-ins,” instruct recipients to bring identity documents and immigration paperwork to ICE offices on December 25 and January 1. Additional check-ins were scheduled for December 27 and December 30. The Department of Homeland Security characterized the appointments as “routine” and “long-standing,” though the agency declined to specify how many letters were issued.

The holiday scheduling drew sharp criticism from refugee advocates who questioned the timing and raised concerns about potential detentions during periods when legal support networks operate at minimal capacity.

Advocates Challenge Timing As Strategic

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Shawn VanDiver, founder of the nonprofit group AfghanEvac that supports Afghans who assisted the U.S. war effort, condemned the appointments in a statement.

“ICE is using federal and religious holidays to detain Afghans when access to legal counsel, courts, and advocates is at its lowest. This is not routine administrative scheduling.”

The immigration agency has previously arrested migrants who appear at its offices in response to such formal requests, including those attending interviews for their green cards. Recipients of the Christmas and New Year’s letters had previously gained legal protection and were deemed “Afghan allies” as part of a program started by former President Joe Biden in August 2021 to protect those who fled to the U.S. after the American military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s subsequent takeover.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson defended the scheduling, stating ICE continues its standard operations during the holidays. Christmas and New Year’s Day are both federal holidays when most government offices are closed.

Crackdown Follows National Guard Shooting

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The check-ins represent the latest development in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown following the November 26 shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members in Washington. The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was identified as an Afghan national who had worked with CIA-backed forces in Afghanistan.

Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died November 27 from her injuries. Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. Lakanwal was also wounded in the exchange of gunfire.

The National Guard shooting prompted President Donald Trump to announce sweeping immigration policy changes targeting Afghan nationals. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services halted all immigration application processing for Afghan nationals “indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.” The State Department paused visa issuance for travelers with Afghan passports.

Trump announced November 27 he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries,” though he did not specify which nations the designation would include. The administration also ordered reviews of all refugees admitted during the Biden administration, a decision that could affect more than 200,000 people already in the country, including green card holders.

Operation Allies Welcome Under Scrutiny

Lakanwal entered the United States September 8, 2021, under Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration’s effort to resettle tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees airlifted from Kabul. More than 40 percent of those resettled were eligible for Special Immigrant Visas because of assistance they provided to U.S. military and intelligence operations, or were family members of those who did, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Over 190,000 Afghans have resettled in the United States under Operation Allies Welcome and its successor program, Enduring Welcome, according to the State Department. All evacuees underwent biometric and biographic screenings conducted by intelligence, law enforcement and counterterrorism professionals from the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense, as well as the FBI, National Counterterrorism Center and additional intelligence community partners.

Lakanwal applied for asylum with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in December 2024. His application was granted in April 2025 under the Trump administration. CNN reported that a senior U.S. official stated Lakanwal was “clean on all checks” both before working with the government and again before coming to the United States.

The suspected shooter had worked for a CIA-backed “Zero Unit” of the Afghan National Directorate of Security in Kandahar Province, according to multiple news reports. These paramilitary groups conducted nighttime raids targeting suspected Taliban members and were accused by human rights organizations of widespread civilian killings.

Broader Immigration Restrictions Implemented

The Trump administration’s response to the shooting extended far beyond Afghan nationals. The administration lowered the refugee cap for fiscal year 2026 to 7,500 from 125,000. The presidential determination indicated preference for white South African Afrikaners and did not mention Afghans.

The administration also removed an exemption for Afghan nationals with Special Immigration Visas when it expanded its entry ban list to nationals of more than 30 countries from 19 previously. Afghan nationals were already on the entry ban list prior to the expansion.

The State Department shuttered the office that helped resettle Afghan refugees who assisted the American war effort earlier in 2025. An effort on Capitol Hill to compel the administration to restart the operations failed to make it into the defense policy bill that Trump signed this month.

Meanwhile, ICE operations continued throughout the holiday season. The agency posted a video on social media Monday depicting Santa Claus as an ICE agent, warning migrants without legal status to avoid Santa’s “naughty list” by self-deporting.

Ongoing ICE operations are currently taking place in Ohio and Minnesota. ICE reported at least 400 arrests in Minnesota, where Governor Tim Walz stated multiple U.S. citizens have been arrested during operations. In Ohio, approximately a dozen arrests have been made. Protesters in response have been carrying out “No Sleep for ICE” demonstrations, making noise outside hotels where agents may be sleeping.

When the U.S. government schedules mandatory immigration check-ins on major holidays celebrated by millions of Americans, is the message one of efficiency or intimidation?

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