An Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021 has been charged with shooting two National Guard members near the White House, killing one and critically injuring the other. President Donald Trump has ordered a sweeping review and pause of key immigration programs, while some news outlets have focused on concerns among Afghan refugees about potential backlash.
On Wednesday, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program, allegedly opened fire on two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House.
According to law enforcement and federal officials, the attack took place on November 26 near the Farragut West Metro station, roughly two blocks from the White House. Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, later died from her injuries, while Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition, Politico, the Associated Press and other outlets have reported.
Public records and officials’ statements indicate that Lakanwal was resettled in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program created after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan to provide temporary status to vulnerable Afghans. He later applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted asylum in April 2025 under the Trump administration, according to reporting from Reuters, AP and other outlets.
In the days after the shooting, President Trump sharply criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal and its role in allowing large numbers of Afghans into the country. He and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have framed the attack as evidence of vetting failures under Biden, even as reporters have noted that Lakanwal’s asylum status was ultimately approved under Trump.
Trump and senior administration officials have announced a broad crackdown on immigration in response to the shooting. According to coverage by Reuters and other outlets, the administration has temporarily halted decisions on asylum applications, ordered a review of green card holders from a list of so‑called "countries of concern" that includes Afghanistan, and moved to restrict future migration from what Trump has described as "third world" countries. Officials have also signaled that some immigrants with pending or approved claims could face renewed scrutiny and possible deportation if deemed security risks.
Media coverage has also focused on fears among Afghan refugees and advocates that the shooting will fuel a broader backlash. The Daily Wire reported that an Associated Press story carried the headline, "Trump administration plan to review Biden-era refugees sparks worry and uncertainty," describing anxiety among Afghans who believed their status in the United States was secure. Another AP article highlighted concerns from refugee organizations about potential reprisals or discrimination following the shooting of the National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C.
Shawn VanDiver, president of the San Diego-based #AfghanEvac coalition, which helps resettle Afghans who assisted U.S. forces, told the Associated Press that many Afghan evacuees are now afraid to leave home because they fear immigration sweeps or retaliatory harassment. "They’re terrified. It’s insane," VanDiver said, according to the Daily Wire’s summary of the AP report. "People are acting xenophobic because of one deranged man. He doesn’t represent all Afghans. He represents himself."
The New York Times, in an article titled "Trump Uses National Guard Shooting to Cast Suspicion on Refugees," reported that Trump used the incident to cast broader doubt on refugee populations and cited his comment that there were "a lot of problems with Afghans" without providing evidence of a wider threat. The Times noted that these remarks came as the administration rolled out new immigration guidelines and reviews in response to the shooting.
The incident is closely tied to Operation Allies Welcome, launched in 2021 after the U.S. withdrawal from a 20-year war in Afghanistan. The program, initiated under Biden and building on earlier efforts begun under Trump to relocate Afghan partners, was designed to provide a pathway to safety for interpreters, translators and others who had worked with U.S. forces and were at risk from the Taliban.
Separately, media outlets have resurfaced past accounts from veterans describing the complexities and risks of relying on local partners during the war. Army Ranger veteran Sean Parnell has publicly recounted a 2006 episode in which an Afghan interpreter allegedly helped coordinate a land mine attack that killed one member of his platoon and wounded others. In interviews and a subsequent book, Parnell said that a post-mission review concluded their interpreter had been working with an Iranian-linked cell that placed the explosive device. That case is unrelated to Lakanwal but has been cited by some commentators to argue that vetting of local partners and evacuees must be rigorous.
The day before the Washington shooting, another Afghan national, Mohammad Dawood Alokozay, was arrested in Texas after authorities said he posted a TikTok video making a terroristic threat involving a bomb targeting the Dallas–Fort Worth area, according to the Daily Wire’s account. The outlet reported that Alokozay had been admitted to the United States under the same Afghan parole program and was granted permanent residency in September 2022. Officials have not linked the Texas case to the Washington attack, but both incidents have intensified the political fight over the treatment and vetting of Afghan refugees and other recent arrivals.
