Trump administration blocks all U.S. diplomatic posts around the world to stop entry of Afghans after the National Guard shooting in Washington, DC.
The move comes in the wake of a devastating attack in Washington, D.C., where two National Guard members were shot—an attack allegedly carried out by an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021.
The shooting claimed the life of West Virginia Army National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, who tragically succumbed to her injuries on Thursday.
BREAKING: 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom has passed away from injuries sustained in yesterday’s horrific shooting. pic.twitter.com/R6O2Sgwwwd
— Resist Times (@ResistTimes_US) November 28, 2025
Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition, fighting for his life. Their service, cut short by violence in the heart of the nation’s capital, has shaken the country and placed new scrutiny on the Biden-era resettlement programs that brought thousands of Afghan nationals into the United States after the Afghanistan withdrawal.
#BREAKING: The second National Guardsman is reportedly recovering far better than doctors expected. pic.twitter.com/5rxlt48Hm9
— Resist Times (@ResistTimes_US) November 28, 2025
President Donald Trump, addressing the nation shortly after the attack, called for a full re-evaluation of every Afghan national admitted during the Biden administration’s evacuation operations, saying Americans deserved absolute clarity and safety.
The President emphasized that the United States cannot tolerate security failures—especially those stemming from rushed or poorly vetted immigration pipelines.
Now the State Department appears to be acting directly on President Trump’s directive. According to the internal document, all pending Afghan visa cases are being frozen or cancelled, a sweeping step that underscores just how seriously the administration views the threat of further security breaches.
Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott issued a firm statement confirming the action and linking it directly to national security concerns.
“The Trump administration has no higher priority than ensuring the safety of Americans, and has launched a whole-of-government effort to defend America’s national security,” Pigott said. “That’s why the State Department took action today to pause visa processing for Afghan nationals in the wake of a horrific terror attack against the National Guard.”
The administration’s position is clear: until the government can look at every file, every background check, every interview, and every clearance, Afghan visa processing will not continue.
President Trump himself made the stakes clear following the shooting. “We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden,” he declared, insisting that the government must take “all necessary measures” to remove any individual who does not contribute to the United States or who harbors hostility toward it. “If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.”
The President also reaffirmed America’s resolve: “America will never bend and never yield in the face of terror. And at the same time, we will not be deterred from the mission the service members were so nobly fulfilling.”
By Friday, President Trump went even further, vowing in a TruthSocial post to halt migration from all “Third World Countries” in response to the shooting, arguing that the United States must restore strong borders, tough security screening, and a patriotic immigration philosophy.
The alleged attacker, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the U.S. in 2021 under Biden’s “Operation Allies Welcome”, the same program that brought more than 180,000 Afghan nationals into the United States after the fall of Kabul. The program was advertised by the Biden White House as safe, secure, and vetted—claims that critics say have now been exposed as dangerously misleading.
According to multiple reports, Lakanwal previously worked with the U.S. government, including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and was granted asylum in April 2025—barely months before the attack.
His background suggests he had deep ties to U.S. operations in Afghanistan, but that hasn’t eased concerns; in fact, it raises new questions about whether the government bypassed standard security measures for individuals who assisted U.S. agencies abroad.
Eyewitness accounts reported that Lakanwal allegedly shouted “Allahu akbar!” before opening fire with a revolver—an act that independent journalist Julio Rojas described plainly as a terror attack.
President Trump said it with even greater clarity: “This heinous assault was an act of evil and an act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity.”
