The shock of a deliberate ambush just outside the White House is a wake-up call. Two West Virginia National Guard members were shot while on patrol near Farragut Square, and authorities say the attack was targeted and carried out by a lone gunman. The scene left the capital on edge as first responders rushed the wounded and law enforcement moved in to secure the perimeter.
Officials quickly identified the suspect as an Afghan national who arrived in the United States in 2021 as part of the evacuation and resettlement effort that followed America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Law enforcement say the suspect was taken into custody after being wounded; investigators are treating the episode as an intentional attack while they continue to uncover motive and ties. The basic facts of the ambush demand sober attention from leaders who are supposed to keep Americans safe.
Call it what it is: a failure of policy has tangible fingerprints on the pavement in front of the people’s house. The chaotic withdrawal in 2021 and the hurried resettlement program left gaps that critics warned would undermine security, and today those warnings look tragically prescient. Political rhetoric cannot paper over the reality that when the federal government rushes policy for optics or politics, the people who stand between danger and the public pay the price.
Independent reviews and watchdog reporting laid out how screening and data-sharing problems hampered vetting of evacuees in 2021, identifying cases with potentially significant derogatory information that required follow-up. Inspectors found the National Counter‑Terrorism Center and other agencies did not always have or use all Department of Defense data when clearing individuals, creating obvious national security risks. Those systemic failures are not theoretical; they have consequences that surface on city sidewalks and in hospital rooms.
For context, the federal Operation Allies Welcome effort resettled tens of thousands of Afghan nationals to communities across the United States in the weeks and months after evacuation, a massive administrative undertaking that stretched agencies thin. DHS numbers and briefings show a large-scale movement of people into the country under emergency authorities, and the scale itself created enormous logistical and vetting challenges for officials. Policymakers must stop pretending scale absolves responsibility; moving people in at that magnitude without ironclad screening is a leadership failure.
This moment demands more than condolences and press conferences. Congress should convene immediate hearings, the Department of Homeland Security should pause and re-evaluate parole and special-visa procedures tied to that evacuation, and federal agencies must re-run comprehensive vetting for any individuals whose background remains unclear. Political finger-pointing won’t heal the wounded or prevent the next ambush; accountable, enforceable reforms to vetting, data-sharing, and resettlement protocols will.
Meanwhile, the brave National Guard troops who answered their country’s call deserve absolute priority: better protection while on duty, faster access to equipment and intelligence, and promises from leaders that mean something. This attack is a hard reminder that weakness in Washington has real victims on the ground, and the first obligation of any administration is to protect citizens and those who defend them. The response must be swift, transparent, and corrective—no platitudes, just results.
