GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama is calling for a ban on all Muslims after two West Virginia National Guard members were shot and critically wounded in downtown Washington, D.C.
“The Afghan terrorist who shot 2 National Guard heroes in D.C. was welcomed into this country with open arms by Joe Biden,” Tuberville wrote on X. “We must IMMEDIATELY BAN all ISLAM immigrants and DEPORT every single Islamist who is living among us just waiting to attack,” he added.
The shooting suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, reportedly arrived in the United States through Operation Allies Welcome, the program launched to help Afghans who assisted the U.S. military evacuate and apply for asylum after the fall of Kabul. His asylum application was approved this year under the Trump Administration. According to officials, Lakanwal had no known criminal record in the U.S.
The two National Guard members, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe and Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, were carrying out high-visibility patrols a few blocks from the White House when they were attacked. Officials say the suspect approached one of the patrols and immediately opened fire before being shot and subdued by other Guard members. Both soldiers remain in critical condition.
The Afghan terrorist who shot 2 National Guard heroes in D.C. was welcomed into this country with open arms by Joe Biden.
We must IMMEDIATELY BAN all ISLAM immigrants and DEPORT every single Islamist who is living among us just waiting to attack. https://t.co/yQVNdi30Rv
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) November 27, 2025
President Donald Trump has already responded by ordering more National Guard troops into the capital, calling the shooting “an act of terror” and saying it shows “the single greatest national security threat facing our nation.” He has also directed his administration to review the cases of Afghan refugees admitted through Operation Allies Welcome.
Tuberville’s comments come after the GOP urged for new restrictions targeting Afghan immigrants. Multiple Republican lawmakers have demanded a freeze on Afghan entries and a full review of all resettled individuals. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has already announced it will indefinitely halt immigration from Afghanistan while security protocols are reassessed.
The finger-pointing by both sides in this case is inevitable, but it’s also childish. No vetting process can guarantee that you’ll catch all bad actors (or that someone won’t flip out in the future). The shooter worked with a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan, fighting against the… https://t.co/PCzOtyZkUC
— James Surowiecki (@JamesSurowiecki) November 27, 2025
Tuberville’s sweeping language, which refers to all “Islam immigrants,” crosses into calls for a religious test for entry to the United States. Legal experts and immigration advocates have noted that U.S. law prohibits religious discrimination in immigration decisions.
Afghan advocacy organizations have urged the public not to cast blame on the Afghan community, warning that opportunistic political rhetoric risks inflaming tensions and endangering families who came to the United States after assisting U.S. forces. One group called the shooting “horrific” but stressed that the actions of one individual should not be used to “demonize the Afghan community.”
Tuberville has not walked back his remarks at the time of writing this report and has received vocal support from hard-line conservatives in Congress who are echoing his call for sweeping deportations. The shooting has become another incident fueling an increasingly heated debate over immigration, national security, and the fallout from the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
