The shooting raised questions about whether the government missed any red flags about the alleged attacker, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
The shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C., last week has sparked a national debate about U.S. immigration policy and whether the federal government missed any red flags about the alleged attacker, identified by authorities as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
The Trump administration has cited the attack, which killed one of the soldiers, to further expand its government-wide immigration crackdown. The administration has halted all visa and immigration processing for Afghan nationals, ordered a review of green card cases for immigrants from 19 countries and frozen all asylum case decisions.
Lakanwal’s exact motives remain unclear. Over the weekend, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggested he could have „radicalized“ after coming to the U.S. Emails obtained by CBS News also indicate that Lakanwal’s mental health deteriorated in recent years, and that he became isolated and detached from his family.
Trump administration officials have blamed the Biden administration for allowing Lakanwal to enter the U.S. in 2021, while critics of President Trump have faulted his government for approving his asylum case earlier this year. But a review of Lakanwal’s immigration case, based on conversations with U.S. officials and other official sources, shows there were several opportunities for federal authorities, under both administrations, to vet Lakanwal and identify any potentially concerning information.
This is what we know about the immigration process Lakanwal underwent to enter the U.S. and to try to remain here permanently.September 2021: Lakanwal arrives in the U.S.
Lakanwal entered the U.S. in September 2021 as part of „Operation Allies Welcome“, the Biden administration’s effort to resettle tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees airlifted from Kabul following the chaotic American military withdrawal and Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
U.
