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US ends immigration from Afghanistan after terrorist attack near White House
The USCIS) made a massive announcement on Wednesday after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, was identified as the suspect in the DC shooting
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) made a massive announcement on Wednesday after Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, was identified as the suspect in the DC shooting. The 29-year-old shot two National Guard troops only a few blocks from the White House. He was shot and detained.
Soon after Lakanwal was identified, President Donald Trump issued a stern statement, calling Afghanistan a ‘hell hole on earth’. “I can report tonight that based on the best available information, the Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan," he said.
Read More: What is Operation Allies Welcome? Explaining how DC shooter Rashmanullah Lakanwal entered the US
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X that the suspect was ‘mass paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, under the Biden Administration’.
Now, the USCIS has announced a change in its policy. “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols. The protections and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission,” the agency said on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
Afghanistan is yet to respond to the immigration department's move.
Read More: National Guard shooting: 5 things to know about DC suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal
Trump, who is spending the Thanksgiving weekend in Florida, added that the attack was ‘monstrous’.
“Earlier today on the eve of the thanksgiving holiday, two members of the National Guard serving in Washington DC were shot at point blank range in a monstrous, ambush styled attack just steps away from the White House. This heinous assault was an act of evil and an act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation, it was a crime against humanity. The hearts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginian National Guards and their families,” he said.
