The fallout from the attack in D.C. has led to increased security and new immigration restrictions by the Trump administration.
MILES PARKS, HOST:
Law enforcement is stepping up security after Wednesday's shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. One National Guard member was killed and another was in critical condition. President Trump says that in response, 500 more guards will be sent to Washington and immigration from several countries will be reduced. We're joined by NPR's David Folkenflik for the latest news. Hello David.
DAVID FOLKENFLIK, BYLINE: Hi, Miles.
PARKS: So let's start with last week. Remind us what happened.
FOLKENFLIK: Okay, let's focus on the National Guard members for a minute. It was 20-year-old US Army National Guard specialist Sarah Beckstrom. She grew up in Weber Springs (ph), West Virginia. She was stationed in Washington and was ambushed near a subway station, according to authorities. She died on Thanksgiving Day from her injuries. She served as a military police soldier and reportedly volunteered to stay in Washington over the long holiday weekend so others could return home. The Air National Guard said U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolf, a 24-year-old from Martinsburg, West Virginia, remains in critical condition.
As you may know, the Metropolitan Police Department and the military in the District of Columbia have responded by stating that each guard patrol will be accompanied by a police officer to ensure their safety. Those officers will be paid overtime, according to a police official who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity. He was not allowed to talk about it publicly. The idea is that it won't distract officers from keeping other areas of the county safe.
PARKS: What about the man who was accused of killing these two?
FOLKENFLIK: Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national accused of shooting those soldiers, is now charged with first-degree murder because Beckstrom died. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro – she is, of course, the top law enforcement officer in the District of Columbia, at least the top federal one – says there are still many more charges to come. She made this statement to Fox News.
At the time, President Trump called the attack an act of terrorism, but it should be noted that the FBI, Department of Justice and other agencies are not now publicly citing any motive, or at least have not yet done so. Lakanwal came to this country after assisting American intelligence initiatives in Afghanistan during the American military presence there.
PARKS: Can you tell us a little more about U.S. officials' plans for national security going forward?
FOLKENFLIK: Well, you saw US Secretary of State Marco Rubio – last night he tweeted that he would prohibit diplomats from issuing more visas to anyone traveling with an Afghan passport. This is in line with the fairly large crackdown promised by President Trump after attacks on the migrant ban.
Advocates for Afghan allies say Lakanwal would have had to go through a rigorous vetting process to get into that country. And in fact, he was only granted asylum this year after Trump returned to office. Afghan advocates fear it will also tarnish those who risked their lives to help the U.S. fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that the administration will send, as you mentioned, 500 more troops to the nation's capital, although we, of course, don't know the details of that yet.
And I think it's worth noting that critics of the deployment of troops, as well as the courts, keep asking: Why are soldiers patrolling American streets at all when there is no unrest or waves of violence? A federal judge has ruled that the deployment of National Guard members to the District of Columbia is illegal, but gave the administration some more time to appeal.
PARKS: This is NPR's David Folkenflik. Thank you, David.
FOLKENFLIK: Of course.
PARKS: And we'll tell you more about this developing story later in the program. We speak with West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey about the attack against two National Guard members from his state and the future of the Guard's deployment in Washington, D.C.
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