The Trump administration launched a complete assessment of Afghan immigrants who reside in America following an Afghan citizen who attempted to kill two National Guard members who were stationed near the White House in Washington, DC, on 26 November, according to Le Monde and other leading news organizations. The immigration services have stopped processing Afghan cases until they complete additional security checks, while federal authorities investigate Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who entered the United States through Operation Allies Welcome in 2021.
From Attack Near White House to Policy Shockwave
The two West Virginia National Guard soldiers received gunshot wounds near Farragut Square, which is located two blocks away from the White House, according to Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, who called it a deliberate attack. The suspect appeared from a nearby street intersection following the 2:15 p.m. time frame to start shooting before receiving injuries that led to his capture by Guard members and police, according to the paper.
The U.S. government has confirmed Lakanwal as the suspect who entered the United States through Operation Allies Welcome during the September 2021 mass evacuation program after the Taliban took control. The FBI, together with federal investigators, works to understand the suspect’s origins and reasons for the attack. At the same time, Le Monde highlights that the White House’s location has made the incident politically more significant.
Trump Calls Incident a Security “Wake-Up Call”
In remarks cited by Yahoo News and Reuters, President Donald Trump called the Washington shooting “the single greatest national security threat facing our nation” and an “act of terror,” arguing that it exposes alleged weaknesses in prior migration and vetting policies. “We must now reevaluate every single individual who has come into our nation from Afghanistan during Biden’s time,” Trump said during an address at his Mar‑a‑Lago estate, according to Yahoo’s account of the speech.
Trump also urged the expulsion of “any foreign national from any country who does not belong here or contribute positively to our society,” Yahoo reported. Within hours, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it was halting the processing of “all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals” indefinitely. At the same time, security and vetting procedures are reviewed, a suspension confirmed by CBS News, BBC News, and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Tens of Thousands of Afghans Affected
Le Monde recalls that more than 70,000 Afghans were airlifted to the United States in 2021 in chaotic conditions as U.S. forces withdrew and the Taliban regained control in Kabul, many of them former interpreters, contractors, and officials who had worked with Western forces. They were granted an initial two‑year period to regularize their status through asylum, special immigrant visas, or family‑based routes.
CBS News reports that since 2021, roughly 200,000 Afghans have come to the U.S. through refugee, special visa, family reunification, humanitarian parole, and temporary protected status programs, often after extensive vetting. The new pause affects Afghans with pending asylum or green card applications, as well as those seeking other benefits, leaving many in legal limbo, according to CBS and Reuters.
Humanitarian Concerns and Afghan Fears
Rights advocates and Afghan evacuees say the decision punishes an entire community for one alleged act. Reuters and Dawn report that Afghans waiting for resettlement decisions now fear their “last path to safety” has been closed, with one applicant telling journalists that if he returns to Afghanistan, “you will eventually hear reports of either my arrest or my death”. Groups assisting former Afghan allies of U.S. forces warn that people who risked their lives for Western militaries could be stranded or forced back into danger.
Humanitarian organizations also point to the situation inside Afghanistan, where more than half of the country’s roughly 42 million people need aid, and millions have been expelled from neighboring Iran and Pakistan without secure housing or income, The New York Times and other analyses note. They argue that any broad rollback of protections or suspension of immigration processing risks breaching commitments made to those who supported U.S. operations during the 20‑year war.
Legal and Political Battle
The administration made this decision after they previously eliminated humanitarian protection for Afghan immigrants who live in the United States through the temporary protected status program, which they announced in mid‑2025. The implementation of the Afghan application freeze will face legal challenges because experts from CBS and international media predict it will violate due process and non‑discrimination laws.
The criminal case against Lakanwal, together with the wounded Guard soldiers’ medical status and advocacy group lawsuits, will determine the direction of Afghan migration policy. The security measures announced in Washington create a problematic situation for Afghan immigrants who live in the United States, while they face ongoing persecution and instability in their home country.