Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, claimed on the weekend that the suspect in the military shooting in the nation's capital was turned to extremism within the United States and pointed fingers at the Biden administration, even though the individual's asylum was granted under the previous administration.
Case Details of the Shooting Suspect
The accused individual, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was awarded asylum under the Trump administration in spring 2025. He had worked with US-supported forces in Afghanistan, arriving in the United States in late 2021 under an special immigration program.
It is our assessment he was radicalized after arriving within our borders,” Noem remarked on a national news program. “Our investigation indicates the influence came from local networks and region, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him, relatives, who talk to them.”
Administrative Response and Immigration Scrutiny
The Trump administration leveraged the event as grounds to pause and reassess immigration applications.
Noem claimed “screening occurs upon entry, and that was completely abandoned under Joe Biden’s administration”.
“All that vetting information was collected by Joe Biden’s administration,” stated she. “The vetting process were conducted during the current term.”
Removal Operations and Legal Challenges
Noem also denied that she defied a court directive when she ordered deportation flights to El Salvador to continue, instead blaming “activist” and “radical” judicial figures.
The comments came in response to questioning on the news show on the weekend about whether she was responsible to continue the deportation flights for Venezuelan immigrants in recent months, as the federal legal agency has alleged.
“We’ll continue to do the right thing, continue to work and protect Americans, no matter what activist judicial figure comes out and tries to stop us,” Noem said.
Noem also appeared on ABC’s This Week on the weekend, where she confirmed the flights were under her authority.
“Certainly, the call was mine as it fell within my jurisdiction in compliance with regulations and the constitution and the leadership of this president focused on removing high-risk individuals and gangs and cartels out of our country,” Noem said. “This is an activist judge and it is clear, as noted, legal proceedings continue with this against this activist judge who’s continuously tried to stop us from protecting the American people.”
Judicial Claims and Compliance Inquiry
The federal legal body asserted the decision complied with the judge’s order. US district Judge James Boasberg in the capital had directed removal operations mid-flight return to the US in March 2025, but Noem ordered flights already in the air transporting migrants to the destination proceed, with the justice department stating the individuals were outside US jurisdiction.
Boasberg has been subject to a compliance investigation into whether the former government defied his spring judicial directive.
