'Entered under Biden': Trump orders Afghan vetting after Washington shooting
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump said that the status of all Afghan nationals admitted under the previous Biden administration will be reviewed, according to CBS News.
Trump’s remarks came after he said that the suspect in the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington is believed to be an Afghan national who entered the country in September 2021, a month after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
"We are not going to put up with these kinds of assaults on law and order by people who shouldn't even be in our country," Mr. Trump said. "We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden. And 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."
CBS notes that Trump spoke after the outlet obtained an internal federal memo on Tuesday, dated 21 November.
The memo stated that the Trump administration had instructed immigration officials to review the cases of all refugees admitted under former President Joe Biden.
In the memo, US Citizenship and Immigration Services director Joseph Edlow instructed agency officials to investigate refugee cases involving individuals who arrived between 20 January 2021 and 20 February 2025 and potentially conduct new interviews.
According to federal data, roughly 233,000 refugees arrived in the US between February 2021 and January 2025.
Afghan citizens not to be admitted to US
It has now become public that the Trump administration has suspended the processing of all immigration applications for Afghan citizens after Wednesday’s armed attack on two National Guard soldiers.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services clarified that the suspension is indefinite.
"Effective immediately, all immigration requests related to Afghan citizens are suspended for an indefinite period, pending further review of security protocols and vetting. The protection and safety of our homeland and the American people remain our primary goal and mission," the agency said.
Background
On 26 November, two US National Guard troops were wounded in a shooting in Washington. The incident occurred near the Farragut Metro Station, just a few blocks from the White House.
Initial reports claimed both soldiers had died, but FBI director Kash Patel later refuted that information, saying the guardsmen remain in critical condition.
According to CNN, the FBI believes it has identified the shooter. After fingerprint analysis, authorities obtained the suspect’s name, 29-year-old Afghan citizen Rahmanullah Lakanwal. Additional checks are still ongoing.
Trump had earlier written on his social media that the "animal" who opened fire on the guardsmen would face punishment.
