The United States has suspended all immigration processing for Afghan nationals after two National Guard soldiers were shot and critically wounded near the White House, an attack President Donald Trump described as “an act of terror.”
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is an Afghan migrant who arrived in the US in 2021 during the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the decision late on Wednesday, stating that processing of all Afghan-related immigration requests had been halted indefinitely.
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” USCIS said in a post on X. “The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
Trump condemned the daylight attack, saying: "Earlier today on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday, two members of the National Guard, serving in Washington DC, were shot at point blank range in a monstrous ambush-like attack just steps away from the White House. This heinous assault was an act of evil and act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity. The hearts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families. As President of the United States, I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.”
Trump said investigators had determined the suspect “is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan,” adding, “He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about.”
He also announced additional security measures: “I have directed the Department of War to mobilise an additional 500 troops to help protect our capital city."
The attack has intensified political scrutiny over Afghan arrivals who came to the US during the 2021 evacuation. “We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan,” Trump said.
Authorities identified the shooter as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who had been resettled in Bellingham, Washington. Investigators are continuing to examine his background and possible motives.
The rare shooting of National Guard members on the eve of Thanksgiving comes amid ongoing political battles over the Trump administration’s deployment of troops to urban areas, a flashpoint in national debates over crime and federal authority.
