US halts Afghan immigration processing after shooting near White House

Afghan immigration paused indefinitely after National Guard personnel were shot in Washington DC

November 27, 2025

White House shooting halts Afghan immigration

Immigration freeze followed Trump’s call for rigorous vetting and deportation push

The United States halted the processing of all immigration requests for Afghan nationals after two National Guard personnel were shot near the White House in Washington DC, triggering an immediate security reassessment by the Donald Trump administration.

The move was announced after an Afghan national was arrested for a daylight shooting that occurred two blocks from the White House, just two blocks from the executive residence, according to officials.

“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals was stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a post on X.

The statement added, “The protections and safety of our homeland and of the American people remained our singular focus and mission.”

Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.
The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and…
— USCIS (@USCIS) November 27, 2025

The suspension came after President Donald Trump vowed to intensify deportations and insisted Afghan migrants who had entered the U.S. during the Taliban takeover in 2021 required far greater scrutiny.

“We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan,” Trump said. He further added:

“We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who did not belong here, or add benefit to our country. If they couldn’t love our country, we didn’t want them.”

The shooting, which occurred on the day before Thanksgiving, intensified debates over the Donald Trump administration’s expanded use of military personnel in domestic law enforcement operations. The troop presence in Washington DC and other U.S. cities had been a flashpoint for months, sparking court battles and public policy clashes over the administration’s approach to tackling crime.

Investigators identified the shooter as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a migrant from Afghanistan who entered the U.S. during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal and was resettled in Bellingham, Washington. He had entered America under Operation Allies Welcome, a programme launched by the Biden government that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal.

Officials said the suspect was taken into custody, and was also shot during the incident. His injuries were not believed to have been life-threatening, according to an Associated Press report.

Operation Allies Welcome had brought approximately 76,000 Afghan nationals into the U.S., around 76,000 people, many of whom had served alongside American troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators. The programme had later faced sustained criticism from Donald Trump allies, congressional Republicans, and watchdog bodies, who argued it had prioritised speed over rigorous vetting.

Human rights advocates, however, had countered that the initiative had provided a lifeline to individuals at risk of Taliban reprisals, though concerns about screening vulnerabilities had remained central to policy debates.

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