The Trump administration has ordered a comprehensive review of all green cards held by immigrants from countries deemed "a country of concern," following a deadly shooting in Washington, D.C. that killed two National Guard members.
President Trump requested the review after learning about the attack on Wednesday near the White House. Two West Virginia National Guardsmen were shot: Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. While Beckstrom died from her injuries, Wolfe was in critical condition as of Thursday morning.
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who arrived in the US under a Biden-era program for Afghan nationals called Operation Allies Welcome, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts related to the shooting. Authorities say he had worked with the CIA in Afghanistan before entering the country on parole.
In response to the attack, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration. The Trump administration has ordered a rigorous reexamination of green cards for immigrants from countries deemed "a country of concern," including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, and Venezuela.
The review is seen as part of an effort by the Trump administration to scrutinize asylum policies implemented during the Biden era. Refugees and asylum-seekers face different criteria for admission but arrive in the US under distinct circumstances.
Lakanwal entered the US in 2021 and had his asylum case granted earlier this year, while Trump was still in office. The shooting suspect's approval of asylum status is now being scrutinized by DHS officials.
In a statement to CBS News, DHS Spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said that the agency would be reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration as part of its response to the attack. However, it remains unclear how wide-ranging this review will be.
The Trump administration has already paused immigration processing requests from Afghan nationals in response to the shooting. Over 85,000 Afghans were settled in the US under Operation Allies Welcome after the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. The suspect's approval of asylum status and his involvement with the CIA have raised concerns about national security.
President Trump requested the review after learning about the attack on Wednesday near the White House. Two West Virginia National Guardsmen were shot: Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. While Beckstrom died from her injuries, Wolfe was in critical condition as of Thursday morning.
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who arrived in the US under a Biden-era program for Afghan nationals called Operation Allies Welcome, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts related to the shooting. Authorities say he had worked with the CIA in Afghanistan before entering the country on parole.
In response to the attack, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration. The Trump administration has ordered a rigorous reexamination of green cards for immigrants from countries deemed "a country of concern," including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, and Venezuela.
The review is seen as part of an effort by the Trump administration to scrutinize asylum policies implemented during the Biden era. Refugees and asylum-seekers face different criteria for admission but arrive in the US under distinct circumstances.
Lakanwal entered the US in 2021 and had his asylum case granted earlier this year, while Trump was still in office. The shooting suspect's approval of asylum status is now being scrutinized by DHS officials.
In a statement to CBS News, DHS Spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said that the agency would be reviewing all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration as part of its response to the attack. However, it remains unclear how wide-ranging this review will be.
The Trump administration has already paused immigration processing requests from Afghan nationals in response to the shooting. Over 85,000 Afghans were settled in the US under Operation Allies Welcome after the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan. The suspect's approval of asylum status and his involvement with the CIA have raised concerns about national security.
I'm so sick of this country being divided over people just trying to live their lives 
. First, it's all about who gets to stay and who doesn't 
. I mean, come on, can't we just focus on being human instead of playing politics with people's lives? 
It sounds like a bunch of made-up excuses to restrict people's rights and freedoms. What even is that supposed to accomplish? 
. I mean, have you seen the state of our planet lately? Climate change, inequality... these are the things we should be focusing on, not some petty immigration issue 
.
. That's a lot of lives disrupted and families torn apart for what? A label or a flag? 
. Until then, I'll just be over here shaking my head 
.
! This is insane! They're going to review all those green cards held by immigrants from countries deemed "a country of concern"?! What's next? 
And can we talk about how messed up it is that this guy was able to come to the US under a program for Afghan nationals but still managed to become involved with the CIA?! That's not exactly something you put on your resume, dude... 
I mean, immigrants come from different countries for different reasons and not everyone is a bad guy. It's always good to be safe I guess but can't we just try to understand each other more instead of making assumptions? 
. Like, what even is a "country of concern"? And how does that even determine someone's eligibility for a green card? 
It feels like this is more of an attempt to send a message rather than actually addressing the root cause of the issue 
.
anyway i think its kinda weird that they're reviewing all those green cards for immigrants from countries of concern... like isnt it already pretty clear which ppl are trustworthy or not? 
. Lakinwal's story's got some suspicious stuff goin' on - CIA connections and all that jazz 
. But let's not forget, refugees come from different places & have different situations 
.
... I mean, the shooting in DC was a tragedy, no doubt, but is this really worth the hassle? 
I got friends from Afghanistan and they've been living here for years without any issues... maybe it's time to rethink our "country of concern" list 
. And what about the 85k Afghans who were settled in the US under Operation Allies Welcome? Are we just gonna send them back? 
I mean, what's next? Re-examining all those green cards held by aliens 
... err, immigrants from "countries of concern"? 
Just kidding, sorta. But seriously, can't we just focus on who shot the National Guard members instead of revamping everyone's residency status? 
. Anyway, hope the suspect gets the help he needs and that we can all just take a deep breath and move forward... without too many more unexpected developments 
~ Mahatma Gandhi
my kid's friend's family comes from Somalia and they've been living here for 5 years with no issues. is their life going to get turned upside down because of one shooting in DC? 
... The fact that this is happening now, after all the hype around Operation Allies Welcome, it's like we're seeing the true face of our immigration policies...