Trump Cuts Off Immigration From Developing Countries After DC Shooting

Afghan Gunman Triggers Sweeping Crackdown

On Thanksgiving eve, a 20-year-old National Guard soldier was shot in the head two blocks from the White House. She died the next day.

The gunman was an Afghan national who had worked with the CIA and received asylum under the Trump administration just seven months earlier.

Within hours of her death, President Trump announced he would permanently stop immigration from all “Third World Countries. ” What followed was the biggest single-day immigration crackdown of his second term.

Two Soldiers Ambushed Near Farragut Square

On November 26, 2025, around 2:15 pm, a gunman approached two West Virginia National Guard members near the Farragut West metro station.

He fired at one soldier from several feet away, then turned on the other as she tried to take cover behind a bus stop shelter. One of the Guard members returned fire and hit the attacker.

Authorities described it as an ambush-style attack. Between 10 and 15 shots were fired.

Both soldiers were shot in the head.

Sarah Beckstrom Volunteered for Thanksgiving

Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom was 20 years old and had been in the service just over two years when she was killed.

She volunteered to stay on extended orders through the holidays so others could be home with their families. Beckstrom was from Summersville, West Virginia, and joined the Guard in June 2023.

She was assigned to a military police company as part of Operation DC Safe and Beautiful, Trump’s federal deployment to the capital that began in August.

Andrew Wolfe Is Fighting for His Life

Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. He entered the service in 2019 and had earned numerous medals.

His father, Jason Wolfe, called him a fighter. Wolfe is from Martinsburg, West Virginia, and was assigned to the 167th Airlift Wing of the Air National Guard.

Like Beckstrom, he had volunteered to stay on duty through the end of the year. Trump said Wolfe was in very bad shape.

The Gunman Drove From Washington State

Authorities identified the shooter as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national.

US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said he drove across the country from his home in Bellingham, Washington, to carry out the attack.

He used a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver. FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators executed search warrants at the suspect’s home and conducted interviews in San Diego. The FBI is also investigating overseas connections.

He Worked With the CIA in Afghanistan

CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that Lakanwal had worked with the agency in Afghanistan as part of a partner force in Kandahar.

According to reporting, he was part of the CIA’s Zero Units, Afghan paramilitary groups that operated alongside CIA officers in some of the war’s most intense missions.

During the US withdrawal in 2021, these units helped secure Kabul’s airport. Ratcliffe said the relationship ended shortly after the evacuation.

Trump’s Own Administration Approved His Asylum

Lakanwal came to the US in September 2021 under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome, a program that resettled about 76,000 Afghans after the Taliban takeover.

He applied for asylum in 2024, and the Trump administration granted it in April 2025.

When asked about this, Trump said that once someone is flown into the country under asylum programs, it becomes very hard to remove them. The suspect was also wounded in the attack and is in serious condition.

Afghan Immigration Frozen That Night

Hours after the shooting, USCIS suspended all immigration applications from Afghan nationals with immediate effect. The freeze covers new applications and pending cases.

More than 190,000 Afghans have resettled in the United States since the military withdrawal in August 2021. Many have green cards or citizenship, but others remain on humanitarian parole with uncertain status.

The suspension applies to all of them.

Green Cards From 19 Nations Now Under Review

USCIS Director Joseph Edlow announced that Trump had ordered a full-scale reexamination of every green card holder from countries of concern.

The 19 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.

The agency gave no timeline for completion or estimates of how many people would be affected. Attorneys are telling permanent residents to gather old applications, travel records, and tax documents.

Biden-Era Asylum Cases Are Being Reopened

The Department of Homeland Security said the administration is reviewing all asylum cases approved under Biden, claiming the prior administration failed to vet applicants on a massive scale.

Before the shooting, the administration had already ordered USCIS to re-interview some 200,000 refugees who entered the country, with a memo suggesting their protections could be stripped. The DC attack accelerated those plans.

Trump Announces Permanent Immigration Pause

Late Thursday night, Trump posted on Truth Social that he would permanently pause migration from all “Third World Countries.”

He said he would terminate millions of Biden-era admissions, remove anyone who is not a “net asset” to the country, end all federal benefits for noncitizens, and deport anyone he considers a security risk or incompatible with Western civilization.

He did not define which countries the ban would cover or explain how it would be enforced.

500 More Troops Headed to Washington

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced 500 more National Guard troops would deploy to Washington, bringing the total to about 2,500.

The soldiers are part of Trump’s federal presence in cities run by Democrats, a program that has drawn lawsuits and accusations of overreach.

Beckstrom and Wolfe were among the Guard members deployed under that initiative.

On Thanksgiving night, law enforcement lined the streets of DC for a dignified transfer as Beckstrom’s remains were moved from the city. Trump said he would consider attending her funeral.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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