Washington, DC – November 27, 2025 – The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced Wednesday evening that it has immediately suspended all processing of immigration applications from Afghan nationals following a shooting that critically injured two National Guard members just blocks from the White House.
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” USCIS stated in a post on the social media platform X. “The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
The abrupt halt affects thousands of pending asylum claims, Special Immigrant Visa applications, humanitarian parole extensions, and other pathways previously available to Afghans who fled the Taliban after the 2021 U.S. withdrawal.
The decision was triggered by a brazen midday attack on the eve of Thanksgiving. Around 2:15 p.m., two West Virginia National Guard soldiers on foot patrol near Farragut Square were ambushed by a lone gunman who emerged from a side street and opened fire at close range with a handgun. The soldiers, part of a contingent deployed to Washington since August to bolster public safety amid rising violent crime, were wearing clearly marked military uniforms.
One Guardsman returned fire, wounding the attacker before both soldiers collapsed. Secret Service agents immediately locked down the White House as a precaution while DC Metropolitan Police and federal officers swarmed the area. Both soldiers were rushed to George Washington University Hospital in critical condition and underwent emergency surgery. As of Thursday morning, they remain hospitalized in stable but serious condition.
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national living in Bellingham, Washington, was taken into custody at the scene after being shot in the exchange of gunfire. He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and later transferred to federal custody.
Federal authorities confirmed that Lakanwal entered the United States on September 8, 2021, under Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration’s emergency evacuation and resettlement program launched in the final weeks of the Afghanistan withdrawal. He arrived on a humanitarian parole and subsequently applied for asylum. Officials say he has no prior criminal record in the United States.
Family members told reporters that Lakanwal served for a decade in the Afghan National Army, including alongside U.S. Special Forces units in Kandahar, one of the most dangerous provinces during the war. After arriving in the U.S., he worked at Amazon warehouses in Washington state and had kept a low profile until this week.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force is leading the investigation and has not yet disclosed a motive. Sources familiar with the probe say investigators are examining whether the attack was ideologically driven, a personal grievance against the military, or related to mental health issues.
President Donald Trump, spending the holiday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, released a video statement Wednesday night calling the shooting “a monstrous ambush on our brave warriors, just steps from the White House.”
“This animal came into our country under Joe Biden’s open-border catastrophe,” Trump said. “He never should have been here. We are going to find out how this happened, and the monster who did this will pay the ultimate price.”
The president vowed an immediate review of every Afghan national admitted during the 2021–2024 period, stating, “We must now reexamine every single alien who entered the U.S. from Afghanistan under Biden. Any individual who poses even the slightest risk will be removed—swiftly and without apology.”
The USCIS suspension is the most sweeping action yet in a series of restrictive measures the Trump administration has imposed on Afghan immigration since January 2025. On his first day in office, the president signed an executive order pausing all refugee resettlement until further notice. In June, a new travel ban barred entry from Afghanistan and eleven other countries, with narrow exceptions only for vetted Special Immigrant Visa holders who directly assisted U.S. troops.
A February 2025 DHS memo had already ordered enhanced vetting and in-person re-interviews for tens of thousands of Afghans admitted under the previous administration, citing concerns that speed had been prioritized over thorough background checks during the chaotic Kabul airlift.
Immigrant advocacy groups swiftly condemned Wednesday’s blanket suspension. “Punishing an entire community for the alleged actions of one individual is both unjust and counterproductive,” said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. “Many of these applicants are interpreters, soldiers, and women’s rights defenders who risked their lives for America.”
As Washington remains on edge and the investigation continues, the fate of thousands of Afghan families with pending cases now hangs in the balance, with no indication from USCIS when—or whether—normal processing will resume.
