The Trump administration is halting all Afghan immigration after an Afghan man paroled into the country attacked two National Guard members Wednesday.
The processing of all immigration requests pertaining to Afghan nationals will be “stopped indefinitely,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) declared Wednesday night. The announcement came just hours after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national brought into the country by the Biden administration in 2021, allegedly shot two West Virginia National Guardsmen in the head with a revolver at a Washington, D.C., metro station.
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” USCIS, the agency tasked with managing the country’s legal immigration system, said in a social media statement.
“The protections and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission,” the agency continued.
The shooting occurred at 17th and I Street NW, shortly before 3 p.m. local time. Emergency vehicles were spotted rushing to the scene following the attack, and at least one helicopter landed at the National Mall. Both men are believed to be in critical condition.
Lakanwal was later identified as the alleged shooter. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials told the Daily Caller News Foundation that he is an Afghan national originally paroled into the U.S. by the Biden administration.
“The suspect who shot our brave National Guardsmen is an Afghan national who was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, under the Biden Administration,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a public statement. “These men and women of the National Guard are mothers, fathers, sisters, daughters, children of God, carrying out the same basic public safety and immigration laws enshrined in law for decades.”
“The politicians and media who continue to vilify our men and women in uniform need to take a long hard look in the mirror,” Noem said.
President Donald Trump announced a federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department earlier this year to combat crime in the nation’s capital city, days after Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer Edward Coristine, more popularly known as “Big Balls,” was severely injured when he attempted to prevent a mob from carrying out a carjacking.
Lakanwal reportedly shouted “Allahu akbar!” before opening fire with a revolver. The shooting is being investigated as a targeted attack.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Adam Michael Szuscik/Unsplash)
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