US administration officials announced a sweeping re-examination of asylum cases and green cards issued to citizens of certain countries following the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House in Washington, D.C.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the US under a policy initiated during the Biden administration after the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan and continued under the Trump administration.
Hours after the attack, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indefinitely suspended the processing of immigration requests for Afghan nationals, pending review. DHS said the review would extend to all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration, though it did not clarify if only Afghan nationals or individuals from other countries were included. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow stated that, at President Trump’s direction, a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination” of all green cards issued to aliens from countries of concern would also be conducted.
These countries align with the travel ban Trump imposed in June on 19 nations, including Afghanistan, Burundi, Laos, Togo, Venezuela, Sierra Leone, and Turkmenistan. USCIS also announced it will now consider “country-specific factors” as significant negative criteria when assessing immigration applications from nationals of the 19 countries on the travel ban list. Speaking from Palm Beach, Trump framed the attack as a consequence of lax vetting for Afghan entrants, calling Afghanistan “a hellhole on earth” and reiterating the administration’s intent to prioritize American safety.
“We must re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and take all necessary measures to remove any alien who does not belong here or add benefit to our country,” he said.
“If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.” The suspect had arrived in the US in September 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome program, which granted entry visas to some Afghans who had worked with the US government.
According to government records, Lakanwal had previously assisted CIA military units during the war in Afghanistan and was vetted before receiving asylum earlier this year. He had no known criminal history.
USCIS Director Edlow emphasized the shift in policy: “Yesterday’s horrific events make it abundantly clear the Biden administration prioritized rapid resettlement from high-risk countries over American safety.
Effective immediately, USCIS officers are authorized to consider country-specific factors as significant negative factors when reviewing immigration requests. American lives come first.”
The updated guidance reinforces implementation of President Trump’s Proclamation 10949, which restricts entry of foreign nationals to protect the US from terrorists and other national security threats.
The review will apply to all pending and future applications submitted on or after November 27, 2025.
In the wake of the shooting, President Trump confirmed that one of the two National Guard soldiers, Sarah Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her injuries. The second, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
