The Trump administration announced Thursday a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of all green cards issued to immigrants from “a country of concern” following the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. An Afghan national who arrived in 2021 has been arrested as a suspect in the attack.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said the review was ordered at President Trump’s request. Two Homeland Security officials told CBS News there are 19 countries on the list, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, Yemen and Venezuela.
Two members of the West Virginia National Guard, Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot near the White House in what authorities described as an “ambush-style attack.” President Trump said Thursday that Beckstrom died of her injuries; Wolfe was in critical condition.
The suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was shot by a National Guard member during the incident. He faces three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and will be charged with possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. Charges could change depending on the victims’ conditions.
The Department of Homeland Security identified Lakanwal as an Afghan national paroled into the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era program for Afghans evacuated after the 2021 withdrawal. The CIA confirmed Lakanwal had worked with the agency in Afghanistan.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the agency is reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration. It is unclear how broad that review will be. Earlier this month, the Trump administration ordered an unprecedented review and rescreening of all refugees admitted under President Biden.
Homeland Security officials said Lakanwal’s asylum case was granted earlier this year while Mr. Trump was in office. In her statement, McLaughlin appeared to fault a Biden-era court settlement that required expedited processing of Afghan asylum cases for contributing to the suspect’s approval.
Since the shooting, the Trump administration paused all immigration processing requests from Afghan nationals. About 85,000 Afghans were settled in the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome after 2021; many were initially housed at military bases and flown to the U.S. after processing.
Mr. Trump posted a video calling the attack “an act of evil and an act of hatred and an act of terror” and said it was a crime against the nation and humanity. He vowed to “reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden” and to take measures to remove any foreign national “who does not belong here, or add benefit to our country.” He also referenced Somali immigrants in Minnesota during remarks.
Earlier this week, the administration directed immigration officials to review cases of refugees admitted under Mr. Biden to identify reasons that could disqualify them from remaining in the U.S.
Nicole Sganga contributed to this report.
