WASHINGTON (AP) The Trump administration has suspended all asylum decisions and suspended issuing visas to people traveling on Afghan passports days after a shooting near the White House that left one National Guard member dead and another in critical condition.
Investigators continued Saturday to search for a motive for the shooting, in which the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, now faces charges including first-degree murder.
Lakanwal is a 29-year-old Afghan national who worked for the CIA during the war in Afghanistan. He sought asylum under the Biden administration and was granted it this year under Trump, according to a group that helps resettle Afghans who aided U.S. forces in their country.
The Trump administration used the shooting to pledge to step up efforts to curb legal immigration, promising to suspend entry from some poor countries and to vet Afghans and other legal migrants already in the country. This is in addition to other measures, some of which had already been implemented.
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died after Wednesday’s shooting, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was hospitalized in critical condition. They were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard as part of Trump’s crime-fighting mission in the city. The president has also deployed or attempted to deploy members of the National Guard to other cities to help with his mass deportation efforts but has faced legal challenges.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirros’ office said the charges against Lakanwal also include two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. In an interview on Fox News, she said many accusations were coming.
Trump called the shooting a terrorist attack and criticized the Biden administration for allowing entry to Afghans who were working with U.S. forces.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said in a post on the social platform
Experts say the United States has rigorous screening systems for asylum seekers. Asylum applications filed from within the country through USCIS have long faced backlogs. Critics say the downturn has been exacerbated under the Trump administration.
Also Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said his department had suspended the issuance of visas for ALL people traveling on Afghan passports.
Shawn VanDiver, president of the San Diego-based group #AfghanEvac, responded: "They are using a single violent individual as cover for a policy they have planned for a long time, turning their own intelligence failures into an excuse to punish an entire community and the veterans who served alongside them."
The suspect
Lakanwal lived in Bellingham, Washington, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, said former owner Kristina Widman.
Neighbor Mohammad Sherzad said Lakanwal was polite and quiet and spoke little English.
Sherzad said he attended the same mosque as Lakanwal and had heard from other members that he was having trouble finding work. He said Lakanwal went missing about two weeks ago.
Lakanwal worked briefly this summer as an independent contractor for Amazon Flex, which lets people use their own cars to deliver packages, according to a company spokesperson.
Investigators are executing arrest warrants in Washington state and other parts of the country.
Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that resettled Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal, officials said. Lakanwal applied for asylum under this administration, but his asylum was approved this year under the Trump administration, #AfghanEvac said in a statement.
Lakanwal served in a CIA-backed Afghan army unit, known as one of the Zero Special Units, in the southern province of Kandahar, according to a resident of the eastern province of Khost who identified himself as Lakanwal's cousin and spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
The man said Lakanwal started working for the unit as a security guard in 2012 and was later promoted to team leader and GPS specialist.
Beckstrom epitomized leadership and dedication
Beckstrom enlisted in 2023 after graduating from high school and served with distinction as a military police officer with the 863rd Military Police Company, the West Virginia National Guard said.
She embodied leadership, dedication and professionalism, the guard said in a statement, adding that Beckstrom volunteered for deployment to Washington.
Associated Press journalists Sarah Brumfield, Siddiqullah Alizai, Elena Becatoros, Randy Herschaft, Cedar Attanasio and Hallie Golden contributed.
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