White House shooting: Musk backs Vance's stance after attack, US halts all Afghan immigration
The incident has reignited debate around Operation Allies Welcome, the massive evacuation and resettlement initiative launched in August 2021 after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Biden ordered the Homeland Security to lead the programme to support vulnerable Afghans.
- Nov 27, 2025,
- Updated Nov 27, 2025 2:38 PM IST
A deadly shooting near the White House has triggered a political firestorm in the United States, prompting sweeping immigration action, strong reactions from top leaders and fresh scrutiny of the Biden-era Afghan refugee program. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk endorsed US Vice President JD Vance’s hardline position after authorities identified the suspect as an Afghan national who arrived in the country under Operation Allies Welcome in 2021.
Musk says “VP Vance was right”
Two Secret Service agents were shot near the White House on November 26. The suspect — identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal of Bellingham, Washington — was shot and detained by law enforcement. Four senior officials confirmed his identity to NBC News.
Sharing Vance’s criticism of Afghan resettlement policies, Musk reposted the Vice President’s message on X with the remark: “VP Vance was right.”
Vance, a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent refugee intake, wrote: “I remember back in 2021 criticizing the Biden policy of opening the floodgate to unvetted Afghan refugees. Friends sent me messages calling me a racist. It was a clarifying moment. They shouldn't have been in our country.”
In a follow-up, he added that voters would demand action: “Many of our voters will demand not just words, but action, and this is an entirely appropriate response. We will first bring the shooter to justice, and then we must redouble our efforts to deport people with no right to be in our country. Already some voices in corporate media chirp that our immigration policies are too harsh. Tonight is a reminder of why they're wrong.”
Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal?
According to a relative who spoke to NBC News, Lakanwal served in the Afghan Army for a decade — at times alongside US Special Forces — and was stationed in Kandahar before the Taliban takeover. He arrived in the US in September 2021 after the collapse of the Afghan government and later settled in Washington state.
Authorities say he shot two National Guard troops only blocks from the White House, triggering a major security incident in the nation’s capital.
Trump calls Afghanistan a 'hell hole on earth'
US President Donald Trump issued a statement soon after Lakanwal’s identity became public, saying: “I can report tonight… the Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan.”
Calling Afghanistan a “hell hole on earth,” Trump described the attack as “monstrous” and argued that it validates his long-held position on tightening US immigration and vetting protocols.
USCIS freezes all Afghan immigration processing
Following the attack, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it was immediately halting all immigration requests related to Afghan nationals, pending a review of national-security procedures.
The agency posted on X: “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.” The Afghan government has not yet responded to the decision.
What is Operation Allies Welcome?
The incident has reignited debate around Operation Allies Welcome, the massive evacuation and resettlement initiative launched in August 2021 after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. President Biden ordered the Department of Homeland Security to lead the program to support vulnerable Afghans — particularly those who assisted US forces.
According to DHS data:
- More than 40% of evacuees are eligible for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for working with the US military or government.
- Others included journalists, human-rights activists, humanitarian workers and family members of American citizens.
- Many arrived after taking significant personal risk during the two decades of US military presence in Afghanistan.
The programme brought tens of thousands of Afghans to the US between 2021 and 2022 — a process critics now say lacked adequate vetting, while supporters argue it was a moral obligation.
A deadly shooting near the White House has triggered a political firestorm in the United States, prompting sweeping immigration action, strong reactions from top leaders and fresh scrutiny of the Biden-era Afghan refugee program. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk endorsed US Vice President JD Vance’s hardline position after authorities identified the suspect as an Afghan national who arrived in the country under Operation Allies Welcome in 2021.
Musk says “VP Vance was right”
Two Secret Service agents were shot near the White House on November 26. The suspect — identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal of Bellingham, Washington — was shot and detained by law enforcement. Four senior officials confirmed his identity to NBC News.
Sharing Vance’s criticism of Afghan resettlement policies, Musk reposted the Vice President’s message on X with the remark: “VP Vance was right.”
Vance, a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent refugee intake, wrote: “I remember back in 2021 criticizing the Biden policy of opening the floodgate to unvetted Afghan refugees. Friends sent me messages calling me a racist. It was a clarifying moment. They shouldn't have been in our country.”
In a follow-up, he added that voters would demand action: “Many of our voters will demand not just words, but action, and this is an entirely appropriate response. We will first bring the shooter to justice, and then we must redouble our efforts to deport people with no right to be in our country. Already some voices in corporate media chirp that our immigration policies are too harsh. Tonight is a reminder of why they're wrong.”
Who is Rahmanullah Lakanwal?
According to a relative who spoke to NBC News, Lakanwal served in the Afghan Army for a decade — at times alongside US Special Forces — and was stationed in Kandahar before the Taliban takeover. He arrived in the US in September 2021 after the collapse of the Afghan government and later settled in Washington state.
Authorities say he shot two National Guard troops only blocks from the White House, triggering a major security incident in the nation’s capital.
Trump calls Afghanistan a 'hell hole on earth'
US President Donald Trump issued a statement soon after Lakanwal’s identity became public, saying: “I can report tonight… the Department of Homeland Security is confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan.”
Calling Afghanistan a “hell hole on earth,” Trump described the attack as “monstrous” and argued that it validates his long-held position on tightening US immigration and vetting protocols.
USCIS freezes all Afghan immigration processing
Following the attack, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it was immediately halting all immigration requests related to Afghan nationals, pending a review of national-security procedures.
The agency posted on X: “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols.” The Afghan government has not yet responded to the decision.
What is Operation Allies Welcome?
The incident has reignited debate around Operation Allies Welcome, the massive evacuation and resettlement initiative launched in August 2021 after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. President Biden ordered the Department of Homeland Security to lead the program to support vulnerable Afghans — particularly those who assisted US forces.
According to DHS data:
- More than 40% of evacuees are eligible for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for working with the US military or government.
- Others included journalists, human-rights activists, humanitarian workers and family members of American citizens.
- Many arrived after taking significant personal risk during the two decades of US military presence in Afghanistan.
The programme brought tens of thousands of Afghans to the US between 2021 and 2022 — a process critics now say lacked adequate vetting, while supporters argue it was a moral obligation.