WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 The Trump administration announced Friday it is halting all asylum decisions in the wake of the National Guard shooting in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n
The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said in a post on the social platform X that this will be paused \u201cuntil we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24 were hospitalized in critical condition after the Wednesday afternoon shooting<\/a> near the White House. Trump announced Thursday evening that Beckstrom had died.<\/p>\n THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP\u2019s earlier story follows below.<\/p>\n WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Charges against the man accused of shooting two National Guard members<\/a> have been upgraded to first-degree murder after one of the soldiers died, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia announced Friday, while investigators continue to seek a motive.<\/p>\n Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24 were hospitalized in critical condition after the Wednesday afternoon shooting<\/a> near the White House. Trump announced Thursday evening that Beckstrom had died.<\/p>\n U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro\u2019s office said the charges against Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War, now include one count of first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.<\/p>\n Beckstrom and Wolfe were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard as part of President Donald Trump\u2019s crime-fighting mission<\/a> that federalized the D.C. police force. The president also has deployed or tried to deploy National Guard members to other cities to assist with his mass deportation efforts but has faced court challenges.<\/p>\n Trump called the shooting a \u201cterrorist attack\u201d and criticized the Biden administration for enabling Afghans who worked with U.S. forces during the Afghanistan War to enter the U.S. The president has said he wants to \u201cpermanently pause migration\u201d from poorer nations<\/a> and expel millions of immigrants from the country.<\/p>\n In an interview on Fox News, Pirro said there are \u201cmany charges to come\u201d beyond the upgraded murder charge. She said her heart goes out to the family of Beckstrom, who volunteered to serve and \u201cended up being shot ambush-style on the cold streets of Washington, D.C.\u201d<\/p>\n Pirro said officials have been working around the clock<\/a> to determine the suspect\u2019s motive. Investigators are executing warrants in the state of Washington, where Lakanwal lived, and other parts of the country.<\/p>\n Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited National Guard troops in the nation\u2019s capital Friday and led them in a prayer for Beckstrom and Wolfe.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of you may have known her,\u201d Hegseth said of Beckstrom. \u201cObviously a beautiful human being and a great American willing to serve her country brutally targeted.\u201d<\/p>\n Hegseth said he and his wife briefly visited Wolfe on Thursday night \u201cto be there, lay hands on him, pray over him.\u201d<\/p>\n Wolfe remains in \u201cvery critical condition,\u201d West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey said Friday. He ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff in recognition of Beckstrom\u2019s death.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir courage and commitment to duty represent the very best of our state,\u201d Morrisey said.<\/p>\n Lakanwal entered the US in 2021<\/p>\n Lakanwal has been living in Bellingham, Washington, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, said his former landlord, Kristina Widman.<\/p>\n Mohammad Sherzad, a neighbor of Lakanwal\u2019s in Bellingham, told the AP in a phone interview Friday that Lakanwal was polite, quiet and spoke very little English.<\/p>\n Sherzad said he attended the same mosque as Lakanwal and had heard from other members that Lakanwal was struggling to find work. Some of his children attended the same school as Lakanwal\u2019s children, Sherzad said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was so quiet and the kids were so polite, they were so playful. But we didn\u2019t see anything bad about him. He was looking OK,\u201d Sherzad said. Sherzad said Lakanwal \u201cdisappeared\u201d about two weeks ago.<\/p>\n Lakanwal had briefly worked as an independent contractor for Amazon Flex, which allows people to use their own cars to deliver packages, a company spokesperson shared with The Associated Press. Lakanwal delivered packages from the end of July to the end of August and hadn\u2019t been active since.<\/p>\n Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome,<\/a> a Biden administration program that resettled Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said. Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but his asylum was approved under the Trump administration, #AfghanEvac said in a statement.<\/p>\n In a Thanksgiving address to the troops Thursday, Trump said that Lakanwal \u201cwent cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts.\u201d<\/p>\n Lakanwal served in a CIA-backed Afghan Army unit, known as one of the special Zero Units, in the southern province of Kandahar, according to a resident of the eastern Afghan province of Khost who identified himself as Lakanwal\u2019s cousin. He said Lakanwal was originally from the province and that his brother had worked in the unit as well.<\/p>\n The cousin spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. He said Lakanwal had started out working as a security guard for the unit in 2012 and was later promoted to become a team leader and a GPS specialist.<\/p>\n Zero Units were paramilitary units manned by Afghans but backed by the CIA that also served in front-line fighting with CIA paramilitary officers. Activists had attributed abuses to the units. They played a key role in the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country, providing security around Kabul International Airport as the Americans and withdrew from the country.<\/p>\n On Wednesday night, Trump called for the reinvestigation<\/a> of all Afghan refugees who had entered under the Biden administration initiative that brought roughly 76,000 people to the country, many of whom had worked as interpreters and translators.<\/p>\n The program has faced intense scrutiny from Trump and others over allegations of gaps in the vetting process, even as advocates say there was extensive vetting and the program offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.<\/p>\n Beckstrom \u2018exemplified leadership, dedication, and professionalism\u2019<\/p>\n Beckstrom had enlisted in 2023, the same year she graduated high school, and served with distinction as a military police officer with the 863rd Military Police Company, the West Virginia National Guard said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cShe exemplified leadership, dedication, and professionalism,\u201d the statement said, adding that Beckstrom \u201cvolunteered to serve as part of Operation D.C. Safe and Beautiful, helping to ensure the safety and security of our nation\u2019s capital.\u201d<\/p>\n The president called Beckstrom an \u201cincredible person, outstanding in every single way.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n Associated Press journalists Sarah Brumfield, Siddiqullah Alizai, Elena Becatoros and Randy Herschaft contributed to this report.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92025 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n