Refugee groups worry about backlash after shooting of National Guard soldiers in DC

Source: ABC News/AP

November 27, 2025, 6:11 PM


SEATTLE -- People who work with refugees are worried that those who fled dangerous situations to start again in America will face backlash after authorities say an Afghan national shot two National Guard soldiers this week, killing one of them.

Many Afghans living in the U.S. are afraid to leave their houses, fearing they’ll be swept up by immigration officials or attacked with hate speech, said Shawn VanDiver, president of the San Diego-based group #AfghanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the two-decade war.

“They’re terrified. It’s insane," VanDiver told The Associated Press Thursday. “People are acting xenophobic because of one deranged man. He doesn’t represent all Afghans. He represents himself.”

Officials say Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, drove from his home in Bellingham, Washington, to the nation's capital where he shot two West Virginia National Guard members deployed in Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died from her injuries. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained hospitalized in critical condition.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/refugee-groups-worry-backlash-after-shooting-national-guard-127934299