US halts Afghan immigration requests after attack near White House

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said late on Wednesday it has stopped processing all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals indefinitely, after two National Guard soldiers were shot and critically wounded in Washington.

President Donald Trump said that the shooting near the White House was "an act of terror," saying the suspect came from Afghanistan in 2021.

The move follows Trump's call for his government to re-examine Afghan immigrants who entered the United States when Joe Biden was President.

"The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission," the US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a post on X.

Suspect served alongside US Army in Afghanistan

The suspected Afghan national had served alongside American troops in Afghanistan, US media reported Wednesday, as Washington labelled the incident an "act of terror."

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, opened fire and wounded the soldiers on patrol Wednesday afternoon, before he was shot and hospitalised, the New York Times, CBS, NBC and others reported.

Without naming him, US security chief Kristi Noem said on social media that the suspect "was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome".

The program, launched by former president Joe Biden, offered vulnerable Afghans, including those who served alongside US forces, the chance to resettle in the United States after the return of the Taliban government.

NBC quoted a relative of the suspect, who said Lakanwal arrived in the United States in September 2021, having served in the Afghan army for 10 years alongside US Special Forces, largely based in Kandahar.

Fox News, citing CIA chief John Ratcliffe, said Lakanwal worked with various US government entities, including the intelligence service.

Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024, which was granted in 2025, CNN and CBS reported, citing public security authorities.

US President Donald Trump said that the suspect was an Afghan who arrived in the United States in 2021 "on those infamous flights," referring to the evacuations of Afghans as the Taliban took over the war-torn country following the US retreat.