Trump Calls Shooting of National Guard Members an ‘Act of Terror’ and Launches Immigration Crackdown as Suspect Identified

The shooting of two West Virginia National Guard members deployed to D.C., for which an Afghan national is being held as the sole suspect, has swiftly become a touchstone in the Trump Administration's wider immigration crackdown argument. Trump called the shooting that killed Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and left Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, in critical condition an "act of terror" and promised to "make America totally safe again." The President has since embarked on making a series of immigration-related changes and suspensions, including a vow to "permanently pause migration from all third world countries."

The Department of Homeland Security identified the suspect of the Wednesday shooting as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who traveled to the U.S. in 2021 under “Operation Allies Welcome.” The Biden Administration program oversaw the evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country. Many of the allies were viewed as vulnerable and at-risk of facing retribution from the Taliban. According to CIA director John Ratcliffe, the suspect in the D.C. shooting worked for various U.S. government agencies in Afghanistan, including a CIA-backed unit in Kandahar, a stronghold of the Taliban.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Lakanwal “was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled into the United States,” repeating a long-cited criticism of many Republicans, who argue the withdrawal—and subsequent evacuation and resettling of the Afghan nationals—in 2021 was rushed.

Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, said during a Thursday news conference that the suspect drove across the country from Washington State to launch the "ambush-style" assault, echoing D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser's labeling of the violence as a “targeted shooting.” A motive for the incident, which took place near the White House, has yet to be established, with Pirro noting that "it's too soon to say." The suspect is in police custody facing various charges, including a murder indictment following the death of Beckstrom. Meanwhile, FBI director Kash Patel has said the bureau is regarding the case as "an ongoing investigation of terrorism," one that stretches from "coast-to-coast."

But as the public awaits further details, the Trump Administration has announced a series of immigration-related changes in the wake of the shooting.

Addressing the nation from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Wednesday evening, Trump said the incident was a “crime against our entire nation… against humanity” and “underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation.”

Trump said he’s determined the “animal” who carried out the shooting will pay “the steepest possible price.”

Pivoting the conversation to matters of immigration, Trump—who blamed the Biden Administration throughout his speech—called for the reexamination of all Afghan refugees who entered the U.S. under the Biden Administration. He went on to add that measures must be taken to ensure the removal of “any alien, from any country, who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”

Trump directed his Department of Defense, which was earlier this year rebranded as the Department of War, to deploy an “additional 500 troops” to Washington, D.C.

Read More: Two National Guard Members Shot in D.C.: What We Know So Far

The Trump Administration filed an emergency motion through the federal appeals court on Wednesday to keep the National Guard in D.C., after a judge last week temporarily blocked the Administration from maintaining more than 2,000 members of the National Guard deployed to the capital’s streets. District Judge Jia Cobb argued that the deployment, initially carried out under Trump’s order in August, was most likely unlawful. She raised concerns that more than 1,000 members of the National Guard deployed to Washington appeared to be from other states.

Vowing to carry out Trump’s latest deployment directive, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said: "The shooter shot, in a cowardly, dastardly act, targeting the best of America. That will only stiffen our resolve. We will never back down. We will secure our capital."

Following Trump’s speech, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that all immigration processing for Afghan nationals has been indefinitely paused.

“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” read a statement shared via social media. “The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”

And the immigration row expanded on Thursday, with more countries set to be impacted as the Trump Administration reconsiders who can enter—and remain—in the U.S.

In Trump's Thanksgiving message—during which he paid tribute to slain National Guard member Beckstrom—the President said the U.S. will be permanently pausing migration from all "third world countries." He vowed to "denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility, and deport any foreign national who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with western civilization."

Joe Edlow, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, also announced that his department will is overseeing "a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern," under Trump's direction. It's understood the countries "of concern" are the 19 countries listed in a June presidential proclamation about "restricting the entry of foreign nationals."

Richard Bennett, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan, has urged against what some view as collective punishment against Afghan nationals and others born outside of the U.S.

“The perpetrator should face accountability, but the entire Afghan community must not be punished due to the actions of one individual,” said Bennett, adding that such actions would be "terribly unjust."

Bennett's comments echo those made by #AfghanEvac, a nonprofit that aims to "bring together organizations with a shared commitment to fulfilling the United States’ duty to at-risk Afghans."

"This individual's isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community," read a statement from the nonprofit.