 "Law-enforcement officials visit the crime scene of a shooting in downtown Washington, DC, on November 26, 2025. AFP")
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Thursday suspended all immigration requests from Afghan nationals indefinitely after two National Guard soldiers were shot near White House by an Afghan national.
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols. The protections and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission,” USCIS said in a post on X.
What happened?
Jeffery Carroll, assistant chief of the Washington police, said the gunman “ambushed” his victims. He “came around the corner, raised his arm with a firearm and discharged at the National Guard members.”
Dozens of bystanders were caught up in the chaos.
“We heard gunshots. We were waiting at the traffic light and there were several shots,” said Angela Perry, 42, who was driving home with her two children.
“You could see National Guard running toward the metro with their weapons drawn.”
Soon after the shootings, security agents flooded the area. Officers carrying rifles stood guard behind yellow tape at the perimeter and a helicopter circled overhead.
Quick Reads
View All‘Hellhole Afghanistan’
US President Donald Trump has labelled the Washington as an “act of terror”, saying that the suspect who shot the National Guard soldier was from “hellhole Afghanistan”.
“The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen, with both being critically wounded, and now in two separate hospitals, is also severely wounded, but regardless, will pay a very steep price,” he said in a post on Truth Social.
Meanwhile, in an address from White House, Trump said the shooter was an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021 but did not reveal his name.
The New York Times reported that he has identified the suspect as a 29-year-old Afghan national named Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who entered the United States in 2021 through a programme known as Operation Allies Welcome that was meant to facilitate the entry of Afghans fleeing the Taliban’s takeover of the country.
With inputs from agencies