One of the injured in the shooting near the White House dies; a wide-ranging review of green cards and a change in US immigration policy

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: On Wednesday evening, (November 26), two West Virginia National Guard members were shot at the intersection of 17th and 1st streets Northwest in Washington, D.C., a few blocks from the White House. One of them, Sarah Backstrom, 20, died from her injuries and the other is in critical condition.

 

The suspect in the incident is Rahmanullah Lakhanwal, an Afghan national and former CIA operative who entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Welcoming Allies and was granted asylum in April 2025.

The shooting near the White House prompted Trump to call for an additional 500 National Guard troops to be deployed to the capital.

 

Extensive review of green cards and new immigration policy

In response to the incident, Joseph Adlow, director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, announced that all green cards issued to citizens of 19 countries of “concern” would be subject to a thorough review. The review would include re-interviews, more in-depth security assessments, and the possibility of revoking residency or refugee status if the necessary criteria were not met.

 

The countries affected include: Afghanistan, Iran, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

 

Trump stated in this regard: "All necessary measures will be taken to deport any foreigner who does not belong in our country or who does not bring benefit to our country."

 

Background and context of the incident

The shooting, just two months after the assassination of "Charlie Kirk" and on the eve of Thanksgiving, created a wave of shock and security concerns in the US capital. Studies show that the US immigration system under Joe Biden did not implement the screening and security assessment process on a large scale, and this has led the Trump administration to take strict measures.

 

The green card review includes more than 233,000 immigrants and asylum seekers who entered during the Biden era.

 

These reviews could result in the revocation of asylum or permanent residency for some immigrants.

 

Critics and immigrant rights activists have warned that these policies could tear apart thousands of families and affect US diplomatic relations with the targeted countries.

 

Immigration and security experts believe that the shooting incident near the White House has become a pretext for Trump to intensify his strict policies against immigrants. Observers say that these measures, in addition to threatening the human rights of immigrants, reflect the US government’s focus on homeland security and limiting the presence of foreign nationals.

 

The reviews show that the Trump administration’s new measures could have a wide-ranging impact on the immigration process, asylum policies and the country’s diplomatic relations with the 19 countries under review, and have increased concerns among the immigrant community and human rights organizations.