Aftermath of Washington Shooting: Trump Calls for “Review” of Afghan Migrant Cases
DID Press: U.S. President Donald Trump, in a speech following the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House, called for a “review” of cases involving individuals who entered the US from Afghanistan during the Biden administration. His remarks came after U.S. officials indicated that the suspect in the incident arrived in the country in 2021 following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan.
Trump described the shooting as a “sign of the greatest national security threat” and accused the Biden administration of allowing uncontrolled immigration from various countries, including Somalia. He said, the suspect “came from Afghanistan,” without specifying the individual’s nationality. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also confirmed that available information indicates the suspect entered the U.S. from Afghanistan.
Two senior security officials told NBC News that the suspect has been identified as an Afghan national. Relatives of the suspect confirmed that Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a former Afghan army soldier who served alongside U.S. special forces for 10 years, sought refuge in the United States after Kabul fell in September 2021 and settled in Washington. The family expressed shock over how he could have committed such an act.
In response to the incident, former US Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden separately expressed sympathy for the shooting and the critical condition of the two National Guard members. “violence has no place in Americ,” said Obama and offered prayers for the injured. Biden described the attack as “unacceptable” and emphasized that he and the First Lady are “heartbroken.”
Meanwhile, an Afghan advocacy group in the U.S. condemned the shooting and warned that the incident should not be used as an excuse to isolate Afghan resettled communities. Shawn VanDiver, head of AfghanEvac, stressed that Afghan immigrants enter the U.S. under “extensive security screening” and that the actions of a single individual should not be misused to “define or diminish” an entire community.