DC gunman’s visa history sparks Trump crackdown on 19 nations

One Guardsman Dead, Another Critical

On November 27, 2025, the Trump administration announced it would review every green card issued to people from 19 countries.

The order came one day after an Afghan national shot two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House, killing 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounding 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe.

The suspect had worked with the CIA for a decade before coming to America. He was granted asylum just seven months ago, under the current administration.

Now the fallout is reshaping immigration policy for nearly 200,000 people already living in the U.S.

The 19 Countries on the List

The countries include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

A June 2025 presidential proclamation had already listed these 19 nations as deficient in screening and vetting. Now every green card holder from these countries faces a full re-examination.

USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the American people will not bear the cost of what he called reckless resettlement policies.

The Attack Near the White House

On November 26, the day before Thanksgiving, two West Virginia National Guard members were shot in Washington, D. C.

U. S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said they had both had surgery and were in critical condition. Both Beckstrom and Wolfe had been sworn in less than 24 hours before they were shot.

Beckstrom had volunteered to work over the holiday so others could be home with their families. She died the next day.

Wolfe remains hospitalized.

The Shooter Worked With the CIA

Rahmanullah Lakanwal previously served in one of Afghanistan’s elite counterterrorism units, according to AfghanEvac, a nonprofit run by U.S. veterans.

The unit, called NDS-03, operated at the direction of the CIA and fought the Taliban on behalf of the U S. government. Lakanwal began working with the CIA around 2011, a senior U.S. official told CNN.

He led a team in the former Afghan national armed forces that worked directly with U.S. and British forces.

His Asylum Came Through in April

Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 under a Biden-era program called Operation Allies Welcome. He applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted asylum in April 2025, under the Trump administration.

He was clean on all checks before working with the government and again before coming to the U.S. , according to a senior official.

Authorities say he drove nearly 3,000 miles from Washington state to the nation’s capital with the intent of carrying out the attack.

Afghan Immigration Frozen Indefinitely

The Department of Homeland Security announced that processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.

It is unclear how wide-ranging Homeland Security’s review of asylum policies will be.

The Trump administration had already ordered an unprecedented review and rescreening of all refugees admitted under the Biden administration earlier this month.

All Biden-Era Asylum Cases Under Review

The Trump Administration is also reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden Administration, according to DHS.

This includes a reexamination of every asylum case approved between January 20, 2021, and January 20, 2025.

DHS appeared to blame the shooting suspect’s approval on a Biden-era court settlement that required the federal government to expedite the processing of Afghan asylum cases. The review could affect hundreds of thousands of people.

Trump Vows to Pause Third World Migration

Trump announced he plans to suspend immigration from all Third World countries. He also threatened to reverse millions of admissions granted under his predecessor Joe Biden.

While he did not define the term Third World, the phrase usually refers to developing countries in the Global South.

Trump is also looking into whether to deport the suspect’s family, which includes his wife and children who lived with him in Bellingham, Washington.

190,000 Afghans Already in the U.S.

Over 190,000 Afghans have resettled in the U.S. under both Operation Allies Welcome and Enduring Welcome, according to the State Department.

The program was set up to allow Afghans who might be targeted by the Taliban for having worked with allied forces to enter the U.S.

The U.S. exit from Afghanistan happened during Biden’s term, but it was set in motion by the first Trump administration, which signed a deal with the Taliban in 2020 to withdraw.

Vetting Was Extensive, Officials Say

DHS said the Afghans underwent rigorous vetting to ensure they did not pose a national security threat. Some 400 personnel across U.S. agencies conducted checks involving biometric and biographic screenings by intelligence, law enforcement, and counterterrorism professionals.

The CIA did its own vetting before Lakanwal started working with them and kept the identities of those they worked with secret. The U.S. government had been doing continuous, annual vetting of individuals since the Afghans’ arrival.

Afghan Groups Warn Against Collective Blame

The Alliance of Afghan Communities in the United States condemned the shooting while expressing concerns over the impact on other Afghan nationals.

The alliance said a single individual’s crime must not jeopardize the legal cases of thousands of deserving Afghans who meet all U.S. legal requirements.

AfghanEvac noted that Lakanwal had been granted asylum under the Trump administration and would have been eligible to request permanent residency a year later.

The group said this individual’s isolated act should not be used to define or diminish an entire community.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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