New york: Pres Donald Trump declared his intention to halt migration from countries he referred to as third world, following an incident where an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard soldiers in Washington, resulting in the death of one.
According to Nam News Network, Trump’s announcement came via a social media post in which he also threatened to reverse millions of admissions granted under former President Joe Biden. This move is a further intensification of his anti-migration agenda during a second term marked by a mass deportation campaign.
Earlier, Trump had confirmed the passing of Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old member of the West Virginia National Guard, who was deployed in Washington to support his crime crackdown and succumbed to her injuries. The FBI has initiated an international terror investigation as more information surfaced about the alleged perpetrator, a 29-year-old Afghan national previously involved with a CIA counterterrorism unit in Afghanistan, as per multiple US media ou
tlets.
Wednesday’s ambush-style shooting has intertwined three contentious issues: Trump’s military deployment at home, immigration policies, and the enduring impact of the US war in Afghanistan. Trump stated on social media his intention to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.” He also mentioned plans to overturn Biden-era admissions and expel those not considered beneficial to the United States.
During a Thanksgiving call with US troops, Trump expressed national grief over the “terrorist attack” in Washington’s capital. He linked the incident to his decision to dispatch hundreds of National Guard troops to the city, suggesting the attack might have been motivated by the suspect’s thwarted criminal activities.
Joseph Edlow, Trump’s director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), announced a comprehensive review of Green Cards for individuals from countries deemed of concern. His agency highlighted a list of 19 countries, includ
ing Afghanistan, Cuba, and Iran, subject to US travel restrictions from a previous Trump mandate in June.
The Trump administration had previously ceased processing immigration applications from Afghanistan. The other soldier injured in the attack, Andrew Wolfe, 24, was in critical condition, Trump reported. The suspected shooter was also seriously injured.
Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for Washington DC, identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, residing in Washington state before traveling to the nation’s capital. She described the attack as brazen and targeted, with Lakanwal allegedly using a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver against guardsmen near the White House. He faces three assault charges, which could escalate to first-degree murder if fatalities occur.
The motive remains unclear, officials reported. CIA director John Ratcliffe confirmed the suspect’s involvement with a CIA-backed force against the Taliban, noting his relocation to the US during an evacuation program for Afghans allied with th
e agency.
Senior Trump administration officials, including the heads of the FBI, CIA, and Homeland Security, criticized Lakanwal’s unvetted US entry, attributing it to lax asylum procedures following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan under Biden. However, AfghanEvac, an organization aiding Afghan resettlement in the US, defended the thorough security vetting Afghans undergo. The group highlighted Lakanwal’s asylum grant in April 2025 under Trump, with eligibility for permanent residency the subsequent year.
AfghanEvac’s president, Shawn VanDiver, urged against using the isolated act to stereotype the Afghan community. In response to the shooting, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced the deployment of an additional 500 troops to Washington, raising the total to 2,500.