Trump Orders Review of All Afghan Immigrants After Asylum-Seeker Shoots Two National Guard Troops Near White House

Washington: President Donald Trump has demanded an immediate re-examination of every Afghan national who entered the United States during the Biden administration, following a shooting near the White House that left two National Guard members in critical condition.

The suspect, identified by the Department of Homeland Security as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan citizen who arrived in the U.S. in September 2021 on one of the evacuation flights after the fall of Kabul. He was granted asylum earlier this year.

Authorities say Lakanwal opened fire without warning on the two uniformed Guard members near the Farragut West Metro station, just blocks from the White House. Video from bystanders showed police and troops quickly subduing and disarming the gunman, who was also wounded by return fire. His injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Labelling the attack “an act of terror,” President Trump said from Palm Beach, Florida: “We must now re-examine every single alien who entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden. If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them here.”

Hours after the shooting, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it has indefinitely suspended all pending immigration applications and benefits for Afghan nationals.

The president further announced he is deploying an additional 500 National Guard troops to the capital, where roughly 2,375 Guard members are already stationed under a “crime emergency” declared in August. A federal judge recently ruled the deployment likely unlawful, but the decision is under appeal and does not take effect until next month.

The two injured Guard members, whose identities have not been released, are reportedly from West Virginia and remain in critical condition.

Lakanwal is in custody, and federal charges are expected to be filed on Thursday. The FBI has taken over the investigation as a potential act of terrorism.