Ambush of National Guard near White House tied to bungled Biden vetting of Afghans

The ambush shooting that critically wounded two National Guard troops patrolling near the White House confirmed the worst fears about President Joe Biden‘s decision to lightly vet Afghan refugees he let into the country after his bungled withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan four years ago.

The Homeland Security Department confirmed late Wednesday that the man suspected of shooting the two West Virginia National Guardsmen was a 29-year-old Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who entered the United States in 2021 under a controversial Biden-era visa parole program called Operation Allies Welcome.

The program was widely criticized by members of Congress for allowing as many as 85,000 Afghans to come into the country quickly without complete vetting, and officials said Lakanwal was among those to enter during that timeframe.

“The suspect who shot our brave National Guardsmen is an Afghan national who was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, under the Biden Administration,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.

Just hours after the attack, the Trump administration on Wednesday night paused all immigration processing for Afghan nationals.

"Processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols," the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced.

“The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission,” the agency added.

President Donald Trump condemned the shooting and blamed his predecessor Joe Biden.

"We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country," the president said.

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., one of the earliest lawmakers to raise concerns about Biden‘s weak vetting of Afghan nationals after the bungled withdrawal of American troops in August 2021, called for the immediate deportation of any Afghan national still in the country who could not pass security vetting now.

“The Trump Administration should deport any and all Afghan nationals found without legal status. Likewise, refugees with legal status, but who fail to pass vetting standards, should have their status revoked and be deported,” Banks said.

Just days before the tragic incident in Washington on Wednesday, USCIS began a systemic review of all refugees let into the country by the Biden administration on the grounds that there was not adequate vetting.

"USCIS has determined that a comprehensive review and a re-interview of all refugees admitted from January 20, 2021, to February 20, 2025, is warranted," a memo first reported by Reuters said. "When appropriate, USCIS will also review and re-interview refugees admitted outside this timeframe."