Trump described the agents as being “shot at point-blank range in a monstrous ambush-like attack just steps from the White House.”

The Department of Homeland Security identified the shooting suspect as Rahmanullah Lakamal, who, according to DHS, was admitted to the United States in September 2021, a month after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“This heinous attack was an act of evil, an act of hate, and an act of terrorism. It was a crime against our entire nation,” Trump declared in a speech.

Authorities have not described a suspected motive in the shooting that occurred today against two soldiers of the West Virginia National Guard.

“The love of our entire nation is poured out upon them and “We are lifting them up in our prayers,” Trump said. “He is a man from Afghanistan who came in 2021 during the Joe Biden Administration,” Trump emphasized, criticizing his predecessor’s policy of allowing immigrants from that nation to enter the country amid the Taliban’s takeover. During the statement, the Republican took the opportunity to reiterate his rhetoric against immigrants, suggesting that his administration would intensify efforts to deport undocumented immigrants and more rigorously vet those who have arrived in the United States. Following the events in Washington, D.C., the Trump administration paused the processing of all immigration applications from Afghan citizens, officials said, after the suspect detained in the shooting was identified as an Afghan national.The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Wednesday night that it will implement an indefinite pause in the processing of all immigration applications filed by Afghan nationals. “Effective immediately, the processing of all immigration applications related to Afghan nationals is suspended indefinitely pending further review of security and investigative protocols,” the USCIS statement said.