The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services have put a temporary stop to processing immigration applications involving Afghan individuals after an Afghan man was linked to a shooting incident in Washington DC that resulted in severe injuries to two National Guard members.
In a recent announcement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), USCIS stated that all immigration requests related to Afghan nationals are halted indefinitely for a thorough review of security and vetting procedures.
The agency emphasized its primary focus on safeguarding the homeland and the American people amid the situation.
The alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwa, a 29-year-old Afghan national, was identified in the attack on the National Defense guards on November 26, leaving both victims critically wounded and hospitalized as confirmed by FBI director Kash Patel.
Lakanwa, who arrived in the U.S. in September 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, was part of the initiative to evacuate and resettle numerous Afghans following the end of the long-standing conflict with the Taliban.
According to a relative of Lakanwa speaking to NBC News, the suspect had served with U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan before relocating to the U.S., having spent a decade in the Afghan Army, including a posting in Kandahar.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the Biden administration for the incident, connecting it to the transportation of individuals on flights in September 2021 without proper information disclosure.
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