Trump Orders Immediate Green Card Crackdown After Shocking D.C. Attack

Paul Riverbank, 11/28/2025Trump orders sweeping green card review after D.C. attack, sparking panic among immigrant families.

Inside immigration offices, folders were piling up. “Full-scale, rigorous reexamination,” Acting USCIS Director Joseph Edlow termed it—though the short notice left caseworkers scrambling and deeply anxious families phoning attorneys, seeking answers they couldn’t yet get.

The shooter, 28-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the U.S. during the harried aftermath of Kabul’s fall, part of the ‘Operation Allies Welcome’ program. Not merely a refugee, Lakanwal once worked with U.S. Special Forces and reportedly aided the CIA in Kandahar. His time in Afghanistan clearly counted for something, granting him expedited asylum earlier this year. Yet his entry slip is now under intense federal inspection. “We need to know how he got here, and whether the systems we trust missed something,” a senior homeland security official told me, refusing to speculate on failures before the ink on the investigation dried.

Efforts at vetting, it seems, are never far from the foreground of American debates about security. In June, President Trump designated a roster of nineteen countries as ‘countries of concern’—from Afghanistan, Iran, and Haiti to lesser-discussed places such as Togo and Turkmenistan. Officials argue these nations lack reliable identification systems, making background checks a murky affair. Now, every green card issued to nationals of those countries, every asylum case—new or old—is up for review.

The administration also pulled the brakes, indefinitely, on any further Afghan immigration processes. Some veterans’ advocates have described the freeze as another gut punch to families already separated by war and paperwork, but at the Justice Department, the mood is prosecutorial. “Murder charges are likely,” announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, pressing her team into high gear. Attorney General Pam Bondi pledged to seek the death penalty. Investigators, meanwhile, continued their search for motive, with reports surfacing that Lakanwal had shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack—a detail stirring, if not clinching, speculation about intent.

Over at the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described President Trump’s approach as unyielding. “American safety is non-negotiable,” she declared from the podium, echoing what’s become a familiar refrain. The president himself, adopting a more somber tone with the press, described the incident as “tragic for the family,” promising a thorough look at everyone potentially touched by Lakanwal’s case.

For many, the sudden spotlight on so-called ‘countries of concern’ has revived difficult conversations about balance—between national security and the nation’s longstanding role as a haven. Immigration lawyers are already fielding panicked calls; community organizers, too, warn of the chilling effect on tens of thousands, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for years, built careers, and started families.

The review will likely stretch into months, perhaps years. Families who once celebrated a green card’s arrival now face a legal limbo that feels unending. For now, though, the official word is clear: American security trumps all, and every gap—real or perceived—will be scrutinized.

As this massive review begins, the consequences, both intended and not, will ripple out. For now, the only thing that's certain is uncertainty—for officials, for families, and for anyone invested in the ongoing American argument over safety, belonging, and trust in the systems that tie them together.

News out of Washington rarely manages to stop the city in its tracks these days, but Wednesday morning brought an unsettling jolt. Word spread quickly: after a violent shooting not far from the White House—one serviceman dead, another clinging to life—the Trump administration was moving swiftly to revisit thousands of already-issued green cards. The scope? Every resident from a list of nearly 20 countries, all now subject to renewed scrutiny.Inside immigration offices, folders were piling up. “Full-scale, rigorous reexamination,” Acting USCIS Director Joseph Edlow termed it—though the short notice left caseworkers scrambling and deeply anxious families phoning attorneys, seeking answers they couldn’t yet get.The shooter, 28-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the U.S. during the harried aftermath of Kabul’s fall, part of the ‘Operation Allies Welcome’ program. Not merely a refugee, Lakanwal once worked with U.S. Special Forces and reportedly aided the CIA in Kandahar. His time in Afghanistan clearly counted for something, granting him expedited asylum earlier this year. Yet his entry slip is now under intense federal inspection. “We need to know how he got here, and whether the systems we trust missed something,” a senior homeland security official told me, refusing to speculate on failures before the ink on the investigation dried.Efforts at vetting, it seems, are never far from the foreground of American debates about security. In June, President Trump designated a roster of nineteen countries as ‘countries of concern’—from Afghanistan, Iran, and Haiti to lesser-discussed places such as Togo and Turkmenistan. Officials argue these nations lack reliable identification systems, making background checks a murky affair. Now, every green card issued to nationals of those countries, every asylum case—new or old—is up for review.The administration also pulled the brakes, indefinitely, on any further Afghan immigration processes. Some veterans’ advocates have described the freeze as another gut punch to families already separated by war and paperwork, but at the Justice Department, the mood is prosecutorial. “Murder charges are likely,” announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, pressing her team into high gear. Attorney General Pam Bondi pledged to seek the death penalty. Investigators, meanwhile, continued their search for motive, with reports surfacing that Lakanwal had shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack—a detail stirring, if not clinching, speculation about intent.Over at the White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described President Trump’s approach as unyielding. “American safety is non-negotiable,” she declared from the podium, echoing what’s become a familiar refrain. The president himself, adopting a more somber tone with the press, described the incident as “tragic for the family,” promising a thorough look at everyone potentially touched by Lakanwal’s case.For many, the sudden spotlight on so-called ‘countries of concern’ has revived difficult conversations about balance—between national security and the nation’s longstanding role as a haven. Immigration lawyers are already fielding panicked calls; community organizers, too, warn of the chilling effect on tens of thousands, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for years, built careers, and started families.The review will likely stretch into months, perhaps years. Families who once celebrated a green card’s arrival now face a legal limbo that feels unending. For now, though, the official word is clear: American security trumps all, and every gap—real or perceived—will be scrutinized.As this massive review begins, the consequences, both intended and not, will ripple out. For now, the only thing that's certain is uncertainty—for officials, for families, and for anyone invested in the ongoing American argument over safety, belonging, and trust in the systems that tie them together.