On Nov. 28, 2025, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced that 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged with first-degree murder for the Nov. 26 ambush of two National Guard members near the White House.
Sarah Beckstrom, 20, succumbed to her injuries on Nov. 27. Her fellow Guardsman, Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. Prosecutors indicated additional charges are pending as they continue a terrorism probe into the shooting.
During a Thanksgiving call with service members on Nov. 27, President Donald Trump described the incident as a "terrorist attack". Later that evening on Truth Social, he vowed to "permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries" to allow the U.S. system to recover.
Since taking office earlier this year, Trump has sharply increased arrests of undocumented immigrants, tightened border security and revoked legal status for hundreds of thousands. Under President Joe Biden, who took office in 2021, many of these measures were reversed to expand humanitarian protections.
This week, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed a review of asylum approvals and green cards issued to nationals of 19 countries included in a June travel ban, which lists Afghanistan among them. Trump has not specified which countries would face a new freeze.
As migration remains a global challenge—impacting economies, security and humanitarian efforts from Europe to Asia—U.S. policy shifts are under renewed scrutiny and may influence debates on border control and human rights worldwide.
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National Guard shooting suspect charged; Trump moves to curb migration
cgtn.com
