Republicans on Capitol Hill are calling for more immigration restrictions after two National Guard members were reportedly shot on Wednesday by an Afghan national in the nation’s capital — not far from the White House.
The CIA said the suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, worked for the agency in Afghanistan prior to the U.S. withdrawal from the nation in 2021. He immigrated to the U.S. as part of a Biden administration program to resettle Afghan refugees who helped the U.S. during its 20-year war.
“The Afghan terrorist who shot 2 National Guard heroes in D.C. was welcomed into this country with open arms by Joe Biden,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., wrote on social platform X. “We must IMMEDIATELY BAN all ISLAM immigrants and DEPORT every single Islamist who is living among us just waiting to attack.”
Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., in a post online, responded to a headline on the incident from the New York Post, writing: “Deport them all. Now.”
Lakanwal faces three counts of assault with intent to kill while armed and one count of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence in connection with the shooting, charges that carry up to 15 years in prison. However, Attorney General Pam Bondi told Fox News on Thursday morning that prosecutors would seek the death penalty.
The soldiers remain in critical condition.
“Outraged to learn the monster who ruthlessly shot two members of our National Guard was let into our country during Biden’s reckless Afghanistan withdrawal,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., wrote on X. “He MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, and we must pass my Afghan Vetting Accountability Act to identify and conduct recurrent vetting of evacuees from Afghanistan found not to be properly vetted before entering the United States, so this NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN!”
Scott reintroduced the legislation alongside Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, in January. It would require U.S. Customs and Border Protection to “identify evacuees from Afghanistan who arrived in the U.S. between July 2021 and January 2022 and provide evidence of full screening and vetting based on confirmed identification of those evacuees.”
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services also announced Wednesday that the agency would stop the “processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals” indefinitely until there’s “further review of security and vetting protocols” following the incident.
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., took a swing at former President Biden and his administration.
“Let’s be clear about this: reckless, lazy, and outright dishonest policy decisions of Joe Biden, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Jen Psaki led to the shooting of two National Guard members,” he posted online. “They conspired and lied to the American people day-to-day about all things regarding the withdrawal from Afghanistan, including the vetting of individuals leaving Afghanistan.”
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., added in his own message, “Deny entry. Deport all non-citizens. Denaturalize all fraudsters.”
“We start with Afghanistan,” Fine added. “But we must not end there.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, after the shooting, said around 500 more National Guard troops would be deployed to Washington. The move comes months after Trump declared the district a “crime free zone” following his crime crackdown in the summer and as troops were preparing to depart the city.
In a Thanksgiving post on Thursday, the White House wrote, “God bless America’s National Guard, and all of our military and law enforcement.”