U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says verifying the backgrounds of Afghan refugees who worked alongside American forces during the 20-year conflict has become “nearly impossible” due to the lack of a functioning administrative system in Afghanistan.

In an interview with Fox News, Rubio said: “You cannot properly vet individuals when their country has no records about them.”

He noted that, despite political pressure to speed up admissions, the Trump administration had previously slowed the intake of Afghan applicants after encountering severe limitations in America’s ability to conduct reliable background checks. Rubio added that the current administration has also adopted a cautious, slower approach.

According to Rubio, U.S. authorities are unable to travel to Afghanistan to interview applicants or verify documentation because of the Islamic Emirate’s control and the absence of government-held records. “This makes the process extremely difficult,” he said.

Visa restrictions for Afghan passport holders

Rubio’s remarks come as U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered a halt to visa issuance for all individuals travelling on an Afghan passport.

The directive follows last week’s incident in which Rahmanullah Lakanwal — a former Afghan contractor who previously worked with CIA-led units — carried out an armed attack near the White House, killing one U.S. National Guard soldier and injuring another.

Separately, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest of Afghan national Jan Shah Safi outside Washington, D.C.

Authorities allege Safi “supported ISIS-K” and was present in the United States without valid documentation. He was reportedly evacuated during the Biden administration’s withdrawal and, according to investigators, had “provided weapons to his father, a militia commander in Afghanistan.”

Homeland Security officials said the arrest occurred just miles from the U.S. capital, describing Safi as “an undocumented Afghan national supporting ISIS-K.”