• Source:JND
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DC National Guard shooting: The Trump administration has ordered an extensive review of all Green Cards issued to citizens from 19 countries designated as “of concern”, a move that marks one of the toughest immigration actions taken since the change in security posture following Wednesday’s shooting near the White House. The directive came just hours after two National Guard members were shot in what investigators are treating as an act of terror.

Trump said that one of the two West Virginia National Guard troops shot at near the White House on Wednesday has succumbed to her injuries. Updating about the health condition of another guard member, who also had sustained serious injuries, the US President added that the other National Guard troop is in ‘very bad shape’ and is ‘fighting for his life’, adding that he hopes to receive good news in respect to the guard’s health.

Trigger for Action: DC Shooting Suspect Cleared Past Vetting

USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said he acted on President Donald Trump’s instructions, noting that the reexamination will be “full scale and rigorous” and will cover every permanent resident from the affected countries.

Officials confirmed that the list matches a June presidential proclamation that imposed full or partial entry suspensions on nationals from:

• Afghanistan

• Burma

• Chad

• The Republic of the Congo

• Equatorial Guinea

• Eritrea

• Haiti

• Iran

• Libya

• Somalia

• Sudan

• Yemen

• Burundi

• Cuba

• Laos

• Sierra Leone

• Togo

• Turkmenistan

• Venezuela.

The new order follows the arrest of 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national accused of shooting Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe of the West Virginia National Guard. Lakanwal, who arrived in the United States in 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome programme, had previously passed multiple rounds of CIA and NCTC screening before being relocated.

Investigators say he drove across the country before carrying out what prosecutors described as an “ambush-style” attack using a .357 revolver. The two service members remain in critical condition. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive.

USCIS Tightens Vetting Standards

Edlow said the agency has also issued new internal guidance instructing officers to treat an applicant’s home country as a significant negative factor when assessing immigration benefits. The updated policy takes effect immediately and will apply to all pending and future cases filed on or after November 27. “My responsibility is to ensure that every individual seeking benefits is vetted to the maximum degree possible,” Edlow said. “American lives come first.”

ALSO READ: Who Is Rahmanullah Lakanwal? Afghan Asylum Recipient Identified As Suspect In Targeted National Guard Shooting

The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, confirmed that it is separately reviewing all asylum cases approved during the Biden administration, arguing that screening protocols under the previous government were “inadequate.”

ALSO READ: White House Shooting: One US National Guard Member Succumbs To Injuries, Other Critical, Says Trump

FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting is being investigated as terrorism, with agents executing warrants in multiple states. The attack has intensified political debate around the deployment of National Guard troops in major cities, a strategy the administration says is necessary to counter violent crime.  President Trump has ordered an additional 500 National Guard members into Washington following the incident. A federal judge had previously directed the wider deployment to end but allowed a 21-day pause for appeals.

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