The Trump administration has paused all asylum decisions following a national guard shooting in Washington DC, according to a senior immigration official. Joseph Edlow, director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, stated on Friday that decisions would be halted 'until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.'
Charges against the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, have been upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the two guardsmen, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, died. The other victim, Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition. The US attorney for the District of Columbia confirmed the upgrade on Friday.
Lakanwal, who previously worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan war, entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era programme that resettled Afghans. His asylum application was approved under the Trump administration, according to #AfghanEvac. President Trump described the shooting as a 'terrorist attack' and criticised the vetting process for Afghan refugees.
The suspect is being held on charges of first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. Officials are investigating his motive, executing warrants in Washington state where he lived. West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey ordered flags at half-staff in honour of Beckstrom.
