USCIS halts Afghan immigration processing after shooting of National Guard members in DC

WASHINGTON - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that, effective immediately, it has indefinitely halted the processing of all immigration requests involving Afghan nationals while the agency conducts a comprehensive review of its security and vetting protocols to safeguard the homeland and protect the American public.

RELATED: DC shooting: 2 National Guard members critical, terrorism suspected

The move comes after two West Virginia National Guard members who deployed to the nation’s capital were shot Wednesday afternoon just blocks from the White House in a brazen act of violence that the mayor described as a targeted attack.

National Guard soldiers gather near a crime scene after a shooting in downtown Washington, DC, on November 26, 2025. (Photo by Drew ANGERER / AFP via Getty Images)

What they're saying:

"Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols," the USCIS said on social media. 

"The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission."

Hours before, in a video message, President Donald Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered under the Biden administration.

Trump REACTS to DC shooting on 2 National Guardsmen

Two National Guardsmen are in critical condition Wednesday night after they were shot blocks from the White House. The suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is believed to have entered the U.S. legally in September 2021 following the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"We’re not going to put up with these kinds of assaults on law and order by people who shouldn’t even be in our country," he said in a video message. "We must now re-examine 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."

"America will never bend and never yield in the face of terror, and at the same time, we will not be deterred from our mission."

The Department of Homeland Security also issued a statement:

The suspect who shot our brave National Guardsmen is an Afghan national who was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled      into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, under the Biden Administration. I will not utter        this depraved individual’s name. He should be starved of the glory he so desperately wants. These men and women of the        National Guard are mothers, fathers, sisters, daughters, children of God, carrying out the same basic public safety and            immigration laws enshrined in law for decades. Those politicians and media who continue to vilify our men and women in           uniform need to take a long hard look in the mirror. Bryon and I will be praying hard for these two National Guardsmen, their families, and every American who puts on uniform to defend our freedom.

The backstory:

FBI Director Kash Patel and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the unidentified guardsmen were hospitalized in critical condition.

The suspect, who has been living in Washington state, has been identified by law enforcement officials as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, but authorities were still working to fully confirm his background, two law enforcement officials and a person familiar with the matter said. The people could not discuss details of an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Trump calls for reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees admitted under Biden admin following National Guard shooting

Authorities are probing the attack, allegedly carried out by 2021 Afghan entrant Rahmanullah Lakanwal, as a possible act of terrorism. Federal agencies subdued the suspect and launched an investigation, while the motive remains unclear. Nana-Séntuo Bonsu has the latest.

RELATED: Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal? Afghan national accused of shooting 2 National Guard in DC

The 29-year-old suspect, an Afghan national, entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said.

The rare shooting of National Guard members, on the day before Thanksgiving, comes as the presence of the troops in the nation’s capital and other cities around the country has been a flashpoint issue for months, fueling court fights and a broader public policy debate about the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat what officials cast as an out-of-control crime problem.