The Trump administration has suspended all asylum decisions and stopped issuing visas to travellers holding Afghan passports, just days after a shooting near the White House left one National Guard member dead and another critically injured. The move comes as authorities continue investigating why the suspected gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, opened fire on troops stationed in Washington, DC, as part of President Donald Trump’s crime-control mission.
Officials said Lakanwal was arrested soon after the attack and now faces several charges, including first-degree murder. According to US attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office, he has also been booked on two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
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Trump Links Attack to Immigration
Donald Trump called the shooting a “terrorist attack” and blamed the Biden administration for allowing Afghans who worked with US forces to enter the country. He also announced that he would “permanently pause migration from all Third World countries,” arguing that such steps were necessary. “Only REVERSE MIGRATION can fully cure this situation,” he said.
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How the Shooter Received Asylum
Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan who had worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War, applied for asylum during the Biden administration. He was granted approval earlier this year under Trump, according to an organisation that assists evacuated Afghans, as per AP.
Broader Crackdown on Immigration Planned
Following the incident, the administration has promised a wider crackdown on legal immigration. This includes a pause on arrivals from what Trump described as certain “Third World” countries and a review of Afghans and other migrants already living in the US. Some of these actions expand on measures introduced earlier in Trump’s second term. The head of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said on X that ,"until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”
Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that the State Department has stopped issuing visas to anyone travelling on an Afghan passport.
Afghan Suspect’s Background
According to the Associated Press, Lakanwal was living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children. His former landlord, Kristina Widman, said he lived there earlier, while a neighbour, Mohammad Sherzad, described him as polite, quiet, and someone who spoke very little English.
Officials said Lakanwal came to the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a programme launched under President Biden to resettle Afghans after the US withdrew from Afghanistan. He later filed an asylum application, and it was approved this year during the Trump administration, according to a statement from #AfghanEvac.