This article examines Secretary Kristi Noem’s remarks on the Washington, D.C., shooting that killed a National Guard member and injured another, focusing on questions about the suspect’s background, claims of radicalization after arrival in the United States, and how vetting under the asylum and Operation Allies Welcome processes factored into the incident and the administration’s response.
The shooting of two National Guard members raised immediate questions about motive, the suspect’s path to the United States, and whether existing screening procedures failed. Officials moved quickly to identify the suspect as an Afghan national who entered under Operation Allies Welcome, and the public demanded clarity about how he reached our streets. Those concerns set the stage for a high-profile interview on national television where the secretary addressed both the crime and the broader asylum system.
On NBC’s Meet the Press, Kristi Noem took a firm tone about accountability, victims, and national security after the attack. She described ongoing investigative work and emphasized a commitment to use every available tool to bring the perpetrator and any collaborators to justice. The interview mixed immediate case details with broader critiques of past policy decisions and the systems that governed entry and resettlement.
KRISTEN WELKER: Thank you so much for being here at the conclusion of just a devastating week. I do want to start with the investigation into the attack on those two Guards members. What is the latest you can tell us about the attack, The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, and what you have learned about the motive, Madam Secretary?
SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM: Well, we know that this individual came into the country under Operation Allies Welcome, and during the Biden administration, and that disastrous withdrawal that we all watched unfold in 2021. He’s been in this country and was in the Washington State area. We do know that we’re talking to his contacts and going through information, continuing to gather that as we go forward. But we’re going to use every tool at our disposable (SIC) to bring him to justice, and make him pay for what he has done not just to America, but how he’s devastated these families and taken the life of one of our soldiers, and devastatingly injured another one that we’re still praying for each and every day. My heart goes out to Andrew and Sarah’s families. I can’t imagine what they’re going through. And President Trump is absolutely dedicated to making sure that he’s bringing this individual to justice, and anyone that he would’ve talked to. Anyone that he knows that would have known about this plan and this attack, he will absolutely bring in, and there will be consequences, and they will pay.
Noem told viewers investigators were interviewing the suspect’s contacts and following leads in the community where he had lived. She framed the case as both a criminal matter and a national security failure, arguing that individuals who pose a threat should not be allowed to move freely inside the country. Her language returned repeatedly to consequences, deportation, and accountability for anyone with information or involvement.
Welker pressed on motive and whether the attack was the work of a lone individual or part of a larger, coordinated effort. In response, Noem made a significant assertion about the suspect’s evolution after arrival, saying authorities believe he became radicalized while in the U.S. She linked that claim to contacts in his former home community and said investigators were continuing to question family and associates.
KRISTEN WELKER: Our condolences to the family of the Guards member who did pass. I do want to go back to this question, Madam Secretary: Do you know what the motive was at this point? Do you believe the suspect acted alone?
SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM: You know, we’re still going through all of that information, and all of the FBI and DOJ reveal new information. But I will say we believe he was radicalized since he’s been here in this country. We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, who were his family members — talk to them. So far, we’ve had some participation. But anyone who has information on this needs to know that we will be coming after you, and we will bring you to justice. We absolutely will persecute you, because we do know that we will never allow this to continue to happen in our country, allow individuals who came to our country that were unvetted by Joe Biden, allowed to run free and loose. We are going to bring them to justice and make sure that they’re returned out of this country if they aren’t here for the purposes of being an American.
Noem emphasized that vetting starts at entry, arguing the critical checks that could detect dangerous individuals were abandoned during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. She said the asylum approval timeline did not change the fact that initial vetting should have occurred when people entered the country. That point was central to her criticism of past administration policy and to her description of the failure as a national security lapse.
KRISTEN WELKER: And we are going to talk about some of the steps the President’s taking. But I just want to be very clear about this, because his asylum was approved in April of this year, on the Trump administration’s watch. So just to be very clear, was there a vetting process in place to approve that asylum request?
SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM: Yeah, the vetting process all happened under Joe Biden’s administration.
KRISTEN WELKER: But was he vetted when he was granted asylum–
SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM: That is what is so broken–
KRISTEN WELKER: Are you saying he wasn’t vetted when he was granted asylum–
SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM: –is that they didn’t. Vetting is happening when they come into the country, and that was completely abandoned under Joe Biden’s administration. That’s the irresponsibility that has completely devastated our country, Kristen. Put us in such a dangerous position. I don’t think people realize when Joe Biden was in the White House exactly how he was allowing our country to be infiltrated with people that we didn’t know who they were. Some of them we did know were dangerous, and we went after as soon as they came into this country. But under this program, we could have up to 100,000 people that came in from Afghanistan that may be here to do us harm. And President Trump is absolutely dedicated to getting them out of our country.
On the subject of pending asylum claims, Noem said the administration will review and re-vet individuals now on U.S. soil to determine whether they still qualify for protection. She promised expedited interviews and checks for those with active claims and indicated deportation would be pursued where appropriate. The focus, she said, is ensuring that asylum processes are not exploited to harbor those who would cause harm.
KRISTEN WELKER: Will you deport people with pending asylum claims, Madam Secretary?
SECRETARY KRISTI NOEM: We will if they should be, absolutely. Yes. We are going to go through every single person that has a pending asylum claim, has an asylum claim here in this country. You know, one of the requirements of asylum is that you have to come in every single year for a check-up, and an interview process, and a re-vetting. And that is something that we’re going to expedite, and happen immediately with anyone who does have that asylum claim today, and ensure that they deserve to still be in this country, that they still have the purposes for which they claimed that asylum in place. And that they’re not here being radicalized, and perpetuating dangerous criminal activity against our Americans.
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