The Trump administration announced it will pursue a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of every green card holder from countries “of concern” in response to the shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington, DC.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow claimed President Trump had requested the gargantuan review, which is expected to encompass green card holders from at least 19 countries.
National Guard shooting suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, had entered the US in 2021 from Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal as part of the “Operation Allies Welcome” program.
“The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies. American safety is non negotiable,” Edlow posted on X.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow announced a sweeping investigation into current green card holders from countries “of concern.” AP
A spokesperson suggested the countries “of concern” include the 19 mentioned in Trump’s June executive order to safeguard Americans from foreign terrorists: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Green cards allow foreign migrants to have permanent residency and the right to work within the US.
Over 190,000 Afghans were resettled into the US after the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, per State Department data.
Shortly after getting sworn into his second term, Trump moved to halt Afghan refugee resettlement in the US and later restricted travel from the war-torn country.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced it was immediately suspending “processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”
President Trump said his team is also looking at whether to deport suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal’s family. REUTERS
Rahmanullah Lakanwal had been welcomed into the US under the “Operation Allies Welcome” program. AP
Lakanwal served in the elite NDS-03 counterterrorism unit in Afghanistan, one of at least five paramilitary “Zero Units” that worked with the CIA, according to the nonprofit group AfghanEvac, a nonprofit run by American veterans helping resettle Afghan allies in the US, but not Lakanwal.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that Lakanwal had worked with the intelligence agency, but did not specify the unit. Lakanwal’s service to the US helped him get admittance.
Lakanwal had applied for asylum in December 2024 and later got approval under the Trump administration in April of this year.
In recent days, Lakanwal allegedly traveled from Washington state, where he lived with his wife and five children, to Washington, DC, to carry out the ambush attack, according to local authorities.
The suspect allegedly shot West Virginia National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, who later died from her injuries, on Thursday, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, who was left critically wounded.
Lakanwal is recovering from his injuries after a National Guard member opened fire on him, officials said.
The Trump administration is reevaluating Afghan refugees who were approved under the Biden administration. AP
So far, he is facing at least three counts of assault with intent to kill and criminal possession of a weapon, which carry up to 15 years behind bars.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro warned that Lakanwal will face murder charges and Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed that prosecutors will seek the death penalty.
Trump revealed that his team is currently evaluating whether to deport Lakanwal’s family.
“We’re looking at the whole situation with the family. It’s a tragic situation,” he told reporters Thursday.
