AI的回答跟我的感觉差不多，阿富汗人真的非常担心被遣返

Yes, law enforcement sources and reports indicate that the D.C. gunman, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 

repeatedly expressed a fear of deportation and that this may have been a factor in the attack, potentially linked to paranoia and mental health challenges. 

 

Shooter's Immigration Status

• Asylum Granted: Lakanwal applied for asylum during the Biden administration, but his application was actually approved in April 2025 during the current Trump administration, meaning he had a legal status that protected him from immediate deportation at the time of the shooting.
• Pending Green Card: His request for a green card, which is tied to the asylum grant, was pending.
• Vetting: He had been vetted due to his work with U.S. partner forces and had no known criminal history. 

 

Broader Concerns

The shooting occurred within a context of heightened anxiety among the broader Afghan refugee and special immigrant visa (SIV) community in the U.S. due to several policy changes by the current administration: 

• Termination of TPS: The Trump administration announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghans, which had shielded thousands of Afghans (separate from Lakanwal's asylum status) from deportation, citing "improved security" in Afghanistan.
• Ending "Parole": The administration also ended another temporary program called "parole" that many Afghans had used to gain entry and stay in the U.S. while applying for permanent status, sending out mass notices telling those with parole to self-deport.
• Fear of Reprisals: Refugee advocates and a friend of Lakanwal have stated that many Afghans, including Lakanwal, constantly feared for their lives due to threats from the Taliban and the risk of being detained, tortured, or killed if deported back to Afghanistan.
• Political Rhetoric: The incident has been used by some political figures to cast suspicion on all refugees, which has amplified fear within the Afghan community. 

While Lakanwal had an approved asylum application, his fear of deportation was repeatedly expressed to others and is a running theory for investigators, who are also looking for links to potential radicalization, though none have been found so far. The current administration has also since paused all immigration processing for Afghan nationals following the shooting