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Noem Gives Update Of DC Case
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Noem Gives Update Of DC Case

The tragic case of Rahmanullah Lakanwal — the Afghan national accused of murdering two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C. — is now evolving into more than just a story of individual radicalization. It’s becoming a sobering indictment of an immigration and resettlement system that continues to show serious gaps in judgment, oversight, and long-term accountability. And it’s putting the spotlight once again on the fallout from President Biden’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

On Sunday’s Meet the Press, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem confirmed that Lakanwal was not initially considered a threat when he was admitted into the United States under the Biden administration’s “Operation Allies Welcome.”

However, she revealed what national security officials are now quietly admitting: Lakanwal was radicalized after his arrival. According to Noem, the transformation occurred inside the United States, driven by communication with individuals still in Afghanistan — an alarming signal of how deeply embedded foreign influence remains, even after entry.

This is not some abstract policy failure. It’s a stark, human consequence of the government’s inability — or unwillingness — to implement comprehensive follow-up measures on refugee integration and mental health monitoring.

Here was a man once trained by U.S.-backed Afghan special forces, resettled with his wife and five young children, who spiraled into isolation and mental deterioration. And while that decline was well-documented by neighbors, community groups, and even state agencies, no effective intervention took hold.


Emails reviewed by the Associated Press painted a portrait of a man collapsing under the weight of cultural dislocation, psychological instability, and apparent radicalization. He reportedly quit his job, abandoned language classes, and fell into what was described as “dark isolation,” while his family slipped into neglect. He was monitored by Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services. The warning signs were not subtle. Yet no action — no recalibration of his immigration status, no serious counterterrorism screening — came in time.

What’s more, despite questions from NBC’s Kristen Welker about the Trump administration's role in affirming Lakanwal’s status earlier this year, Secretary Noem pointed out the broader truth: the infrastructure of the problem was built long before any single refugee vetting decision in 2025. The root of the crisis began in August 2021, when the Biden administration allowed Afghanistan to fall into the Taliban’s hands, triggering a chaotic evacuation that saw over 80,000 Afghans airlifted into the U.S. — many without complete vetting.

Now, we face a reality where those individuals — many of whom served honorably alongside U.S. forces — are at risk of foreign manipulation, digital indoctrination, and radical messaging. And when someone breaks, as Lakanwal did, it’s not only their lives that are shattered — it’s the lives of innocent Americans as well.

This wasn’t just a breakdown of one man’s mind. It was a breakdown of a system, a process, and a political decision that put ideology ahead of prudence. The cost? Two National Guardsmen — patriots in uniform — gunned down in the capital of the United States. And a reminder, once again, that open doors without hardened safeguards invite not only the hopeful but the harmful.

Written by Arthur Higgens - December 2, 2025