Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has claimed that the suspect in the Washington DC national guard shooting was radicalised after entering the United States, and blamed the Biden administration for vetting failures. However, records show the suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was granted asylum under the Trump administration in April.
Lakanwal, who worked with CIA-backed units in Afghanistan, arrived in the US in September 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome programme. Noem said on NBC’s Meet the Press: “We believe he was radicalised since he’s been here in this country… through connections in his home community and state.”
The Trump administration has cited the shooting as justification to halt and review asylum and green card applications. President Trump told reporters there would be “no time limit” on pausing asylum admissions, adding: “We have enough problems. We don’t want those people.”
Noem also defended her decision to continue deportation flights to El Salvador despite a court order, blaming “activist” and “radical” judges. She told ABC’s This Week: “Yes, I made that decision… under my complete authority and following the law and the constitution.”
The Department of Justice claimed the flights did not violate the order, as the detainees were no longer in US territory. A contempt inquiry is under way into whether the Trump administration defied Judge James Boasberg’s March order.
