White House Shooting Ignites Immigration Freeze: Afghan National Targets National Guard, Trump Declares ‘Act of Terror’

A shocking daylight attack near the White House on Wednesday left two National Guard soldiers critically wounded and immediately triggered a drastic policy response from the Trump administration, which announced a sweeping suspension of all immigration requests for Afghan nationals.

The assailant, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national with alleged past ties to the U.S. military and the CIA during the war in Afghanistan, was apprehended after a dramatic firefight with responding security forces. The shooting occurred around 2 p.m. on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, a busy corridor just blocks from the Executive Mansion.

President Donald Trump wasted no time in condemning the event, classifying it as an “act of terror” conducted by an “animal.” The incident quickly intensified the partisan debate surrounding U.S. immigration vetting policies, particularly concerning allies resettled from Afghanistan following America’s longest war.

In the wake of the attack, the administration confirmed it had halted the processing of all immigration applications, including those for refugees and asylum seekers, from Afghanistan. In justifying the abrupt suspension, President Trump stated, “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. If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.”

The two victims, Staff Sgt. Elijah Ramirez, a father of three and Iraq War veteran, and Sgt. Marcus Hale, a recent enlistee, were part of a 500-member National Guard deployment ordered to the District to reinforce security following the November election. Both were struck multiple times and remain in critical but stable condition at George Washington University Hospital. Following the attack, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered an additional 500 National Guard personnel into the capital.

Federal investigators, led by the FBI, have classified the assault as a “targeted” strike. Preliminary ballistics revealed Lakanwal used a legally purchased 9mm Glock pistol. Furthermore, local news outlets reported that a manifesto-like document found in the suspect’s parked sedan railed against “American imperialism” and the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

The crime scene, marked by yellow police tape fluttering in the chill morning air, served as a stark, physical reminder that the complex issues stemming from America’s tragic withdrawal from Afghanistan have now violently erupted onto a sidewalk in the heart of the nation’s capital, forcing an immediate reckoning over national security and immigration protocols.