Trump Calls To ‘Re-Examine’ Afghan Refugees After Guard Shooting

By staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump urged a review of all Afghan immigrants admitted under Joe Biden’s administration, after authorities identified the suspect in the Washington National Guard shooting as an Afghan national.

A statement from the Department of Homeland Security named the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the US under a Biden-era policy allowing Afghans set up after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Immigration authorities granted Lakanwal asylum earlier this year, according to CNN.

The shooting took place near the Farragut West metro station in the capital city, close to the White House, and the two national guard members were in a critical condition.

The president called the incident “an act of terror,” adding, “we must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden.”

Soon after that statement, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it had stopped processing all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals indefinitely.

The suspect, who is now in custody, was also shot and had injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening, according to a law enforcement official not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

“As we are filled with anguish and grief for those who were shot, we’re also filled with righteous anger and ferocious resolve,” Trump said.

Trump also took the opportunity to rail against the immigration policies of his predecessor Joe Biden, casting the shooting as the result of lax vetting of migrants from Afghanistan.

Trump concluded his remarks by claiming that the attack justified the reconsideration of refugee and asylum status granted under previous administrations.

“We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here, or add benefit to our country,” the president said. “If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.”

Authorities did not immediately release the names of the victims, but NBC reported that both were from West Virginia.

National Guard troops have been in Washington since August, following Trump’s ‘crime emergency’ declaration, with 2,375 currently active. After the shooting, Trump said he ordered 500 more deployed.

US District Judge Jia Cobb recently ruled the deployment likely unlawful, effective next month, and the administration is appealing.”