The Trump administration on Wednesday night paused all immigration processing for Afghan nationals after a man who entered the U.S. from Afghanistan was arrested for the ambush shootings that critically wounded two National Guard troops near the White House.
“Processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced.
The decision came hours after authorities identified the man who shot two Guardsmen as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, Â and said he entered the United States in 2021 under a Biden-era initiative called Operation Allies Welcome.
President Donald Trump condemned the shooting and blamed his predecessor Joe Biden.
“We must now reexamine 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.
