The nation woke this week to the horrifying news that two West Virginia National Guard members were ambushed while patrolling steps from the White House, a brazen attack that left one young soldier dead and another fighting for his life. This wasn’t a random street fight — it was a targeted act against uniformed troops carrying out orders to keep our capital safe, and Americans deserve blunt answers about how a suspected attacker reached U.S. soil.
The fallen Guardswoman, 20-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, and the critically wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe volunteered to serve and protect their fellow citizens, only to be met with violence in broad daylight. Their sacrifice should shame any politician who treats border and vetting policy as a talking point instead of a duty to protect lives.
Authorities have identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the United States in 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome effort and who reportedly had ties to U.S. intelligence operations in Afghanistan. Whether this was a case of a flawed resettlement decision or a tragic failure of subsequent oversight, the connection to Afghanistan and the suspect’s past work with U.S. forces is a national security detail we cannot sweep under the rug.
The federal government reacted swiftly: the State Department paused visa issuance for holders of Afghan passports and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a halt to all asylum decisions while a full security review is carried out. These are not partisan gestures; they are necessary, common-sense steps to regain control of our intake processes and to make sure those who come here do not pose a threat to American lives.
President Trump ordered reinforcements to protect the capital and framed the incident as proof that the country must end the reckless open-door policies of the recent past. Conservatives who have long warned about porous borders and lax vetting feel vindicated by this grim episode, and we should use every lawful tool to prevent another tragedy while honoring due process.
Make no mistake: defending the homeland and protecting service members must come before bureaucratic excuses and activist lawsuits. Our governors, federal leaders, and the Department of Homeland Security owe the American people transparency about how this man was admitted, what vetting he passed, and exactly what reforms will be implemented to stop repeats of this horror.
To the families of Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe, and to the men and women of the National Guard who put their lives on the line, we owe more than words — we owe action. Patriots across this country will stand with our troops and demand the accountability and common-sense security reforms that keep our citizens safe and our cities secure.
