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The United States has halted all immigration processing for Afghan nationals after two National Guard members were shot in Washington, D.C., officials said Wednesday.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said the suspension is effective immediately and will remain in place pending a review of “security and vetting protocols.”
“The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission,” the agency said on X.
The announcement followed the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near Farragut Square on Wednesday afternoon. The troops, deployed as part of a high-visibility patrol, were critically injured.
US media and law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan who entered the US in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome; the program launched after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal reportedly applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted protection earlier this year. Officials said he is not cooperating with investigators.
Metropolitan Police said the gunman “came around the corner and immediately started firing,” describing the attack as an ambush.
Other National Guard members subdued the suspect until police arrived. Lakanwal was shot four times during the incident.
President Donald Trump called the shooting an “act of terror” and vowed that the suspect “pays the steepest possible price.”
He also ordered authorities to “re-examine every single alien” who entered the US from Afghanistan during the Biden administration and said the US must ensure the removal of any foreign national “who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”
The Department of Homeland Security described the suspect as “a criminal alien from Afghanistan.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump has ordered an additional 500 National Guard members to the capital, adding to the roughly 2,200 troops already deployed to address what the administration calls “out of control” crime.
National Guard forces, while unable to make arrests, patrol the city as a support element. Similar deployments have taken place in other Democrat-led cities.
Trump earlier imposed a travel ban on nationals of Afghanistan and 11 other countries, with limited exceptions such as Special Immigration Visa holders who assisted US forces.
He has also ended deportation protections for thousands of Afghans previously shielded under temporary protected status.
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