A street attack two blocks from the White House turned deadly Thursday when President Donald Trump confirmed that one of two West Virginia National Guard members ambushed Wednesday had died. The shooting has become a flashpoint over immigration vetting and asylum policy.

The Attack and Its Victims

Trump identified the fallen soldier as 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom. According to a Reuters report, an Afghan national opened fire on the patrol Wednesday afternoon. Her fellow guard member, 24-year-old Specialist Andrew Wolfe, is "fighting for his life," Trump said during a Thanksgiving call with troops. He condemned the shooting as a "terrorist attack" by a "savage monster."

Investigators say 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal drove cross-country to Washington, stepped from his vehicle, and opened fire with a .357 Magnum revolver. He hit both Guard members before other troops returned fire and tackled him.

Investigation Reveals Complicated Background

FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters Thursday that agents seized phones, laptops and other devices during raids, including at a Washington state home where Lakanwal lived with his wife and five children. Officials believe he acted alone, but his history raises questions: he previously served in a CIA-backed Afghan unit before entering the U.S. under a 2021 resettlement program and later gaining asylum.

Here's where things get awkward. Trump and senior aides immediately blamed "Biden-era immigration vetting failures." The problem? A government file reviewed by Reuters shows U.S. authorities actually granted Lakanwal asylum this year—during Trump's second term.

Sweeping Policy Response Triggers Backlash

The administration didn't let that inconvenient detail slow things down. It ordered a sweeping review of all asylum cases approved under President Biden, plus green cards issued to citizens of 19 countries. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services froze all new immigration requests involving Afghan nationals.

Trump framed the shooting as a national security wake-up call, saying it "reminds us that we have no greater national security priority than ensuring that we have full control over the people that enter and remain in our country."

Critics warn that broad retroactive reviews could destabilize thousands of Afghans who aided U.S. forces during the war and already face crushing backlogs and legal uncertainty.