ICE Barbie Malfunctions When Asked About Trump Granting Asylum to D.C. Shooting Suspect

Kristi Noem appeared flustered during a Sunday interview when asked about the approval of asylum for the suspect in the recent National Guard shooting, a request that had been granted under the Trump administration. Photo Illustration by Victoria Sunday/The Daily Beast/Getty Images

The Homeland Security secretary, often nicknamed ICE Barbie for her frequent portrayals of immigration roles, avoided a direct answer on NBCs Meet the Press when questioned about whether Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, had been properly vetted before his asylum from Afghanistan was approved earlier this year. Noem said, Vetting is... Vetting is... Vetting is happening when they come into the country, and that was completely abandoned under Joe Bidens administration.

Lakanwal entered the U.S. in 2021, with his asylum being approved in April. He is now accused of shooting two National Guard members near the White House, one of whom, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, later died from her injuries.

Reports indicate Lakanwal had been part of a CIA-supported unit during Afghanistans conflict and arrived in the U.S. after the Taliban regained control in 2021. His asylum approval came in April, three months into Donald Trumps second presidential term.

Noem, who recently appointed 22-year-old former landscaper Thomas Fugate to lead the DHS Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, has repeatedly blamed the Biden administration for the White House shooting. On ABC News Sunday, she suggested Lakanwal might have been radicalized in the U.S. under a process initiated during the previous administration, stating, He was brought into the country by the Biden administration through Operation Allies Welcome. And then, maybe vetted after that, but not done well, based on what the guidelines were put forward by President Biden.

ABC host Jonathan Karl questioned Noem, emphasizing that Trump had already been in office when Lakanwals asylum was granted: Are you saying there was no vetting done by the Trump administration? You were simply relying on what had been done under the Biden administration? No vetting before granting him asylum? Noem did not dispute this but insisted vetting procedures under Biden have now been corrected.

Noems DHS appointment of Thomas Fugate, a 22-year-old with no counterterrorism background, has drawn criticism, with social media users suggesting it exposed vulnerabilities in national security. Comments highlighted that Lakanwals asylum had been legally granted under Trump and questioned Fugates qualifications for preventing domestic threats.

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin defended Fugate, clarifying he never held direct operational control over the CP3 program and that the criticism misrepresents his role. She added that Fugates identification of misused program funds highlights prior inefficiencies within CP3 during the Biden administration.

Author: Sophia Brooks