A deadly shooting occurred in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, resulting in one fatality and one injury. The incident involved Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who had migrated from Afghanistan four years prior.
National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed, and colleague Andrew Wolfe, 24, was critically injured. Mr. Lakanwal entered the United States under a program providing special immigration protections to Afghans who had collaborated with the U.S. following its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. U.S. officials stated that Lakanwal had a relationship with U.S. forces in Afghanistan, having assisted in guarding them at Kabul airport during the withdrawal. He applied for asylum in 2024, which was granted earlier the same year.
Following the shooting, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a halt to the processing of all immigration requests from Afghans. He also ordered a review of green cards issued to individuals from 19 countries and indicated potential broader restrictions on migrants from additional nations.
The Afghan Community Coalition of United States expressed sympathy for the victims' families and advocated for a comprehensive investigation. The coalition urged the U.S. government not to delay or suspend Afghan immigration claims, emphasizing the two-decade partnership between Afghanistan and the U.S.
Afghans residing in the U.S., who spoke anonymously due to concerns of reprisals, described the Washington D.C. attack as a tragic event. They stated that the shooting was an individual criminal act and not representative of the broader Afghan community. These individuals emphasized their roles as hardworking, tax-paying members of society and expressed gratitude for the U.S. evacuation efforts during the 2021 crisis in Kabul.
Concerns were voiced by Afghan immigrants regarding the potential impact of the Trump administration's proposed re-evaluation of immigration processes, citing the uncertainty and time investment associated with such reviews. This situation was described as particularly challenging given the prevailing conditions in their country of origin.