The Afghan immigrant thought to have ambushed two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., “should never have been allowed to come here,” remarked CIA Director John Ratcliffe on Wednesday.
Rahmanullah Rakanwal, 29, is accused of shooting West Virginia Guardsmen Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolf. He entered the U.S. in 2021 through the Biden administration’s Operation Welcoming Allies program. Rakanwal applied for asylum in December 2024 and received approval in April.
Ratcliffe criticized the Biden administration’s “catastrophic failure” in permitting the suspected shooter to immigrate to the United States.
“After the poorly executed withdrawal from Afghanistan, the administration justified bringing the alleged shooter here, pointing to his past work with the U.S. government, including the CIA, in Kandahar. However, this mission ended shortly after that chaotic withdrawal,” Ratcliffe noted.
He added, “This individual, along with many others, should never have been permitted entry. Our citizens and service members deserve much better than facing the aftermath of the Biden administration’s failures. Our brave troops deserve our support.”
Follow the latest updates on the National Guard shooting in Washington, DC.
The Department of Homeland Security announced it is temporarily halting Afghan immigration applications.
“This Afghan national was allowed entry by the Biden administration,” DHS stated. “Even if he was granted asylum, he wouldn’t have been removed due to his parole status.”
“Effective immediately, the processing of all entry applications for Afghan nationals is suspended indefinitely, pending a thorough review of security and vetting processes,” the announcement added. “The Trump administration is also examining all asylum cases approved during the Biden administration, as it believes the vetting wasn’t conducted rigorously.”
