WASHINGTON: The United States (US) has stopped processing all immigration cases from Afghans after an Afghan national was named as the suspect in a shooting that left two National Guard soldiers critically injured near the White House.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services said the pause will remain in place while officials review security and vetting procedures.
The suspect in Wednesday’s attack reportedly came to the US from Afghanistan in September 2021. President Donald Trump called the incident an “act of terror” and said he would move to expel foreigners “from any country who does not belong here”.
After the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan under former president Joe Biden, tens of thousands of Afghans entered the US under special protection programmes.
The Department of Homeland Security identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakamal, describing him as “a criminal alien from Afghanistan”. An official told CBS that he applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted approval earlier this year. The 29-year-old is believed to have arrived under Operation Allies Welcome.
Trump said the US now “must re-examine every single alien” who entered from Afghanistan during Biden’s tenure. Earlier this year, he had already imposed a travel ban on citizens of Afghanistan and 11 other countries, with only a few exceptions, including holders of Special Immigration Visas issued to Afghans who worked with US forces.
The Taliban returned to power in 2021 after the American pullout.
Trump has also ended a programme that had offered temporary protection from deportation to thousands of Afghans. That programme allowed approved migrants to work legally in the US if conditions in their home countries were considered too dangerous for their return.
