More soldiers

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Trump administration would send hundreds of additional National Guard soldiers to the nation’s capital after two soldiers were shot in the city Wednesday.

The announced escalation to Trump’s military occupation in Washington, D.C., comes less than a week after a federal court found that the president’s decision to deploy over 2,000 Guard members there was likely unlawful.

“President Trump has asked me, and I will ask the secretary of the Army to the National Guard, to add 500 additional troops, National Guardsman, to Washington, D.C.,” Hegseth said after the shooting Wednesday.

“We will never back down. We will secure our capital. We will secure our cities,” he added. “If criminals want to conduct things like this — violence against America’s best — we will never back down.”

  Democracy Docket

Because if 2,000 weren't enough to keep 2 from being shot, perhaps 2,500 will work. We all know it's not about ANYONE's safety.

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey (R) said the two Guard members were part of the West Virginia National Guard. He initially said the troops had died but later walked back that statement, saying his office received “conflicting reports” about their condition.

Maybe find out before going public. They are now described as in critical condition.

The shooting occurred just blocks away from the White House. In addition to the Guard soldiers, a suspect, who is now in custody, was also injured.

The Department of Homeland Security has identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who came to the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome. CNN previously reported the suspect applied for asylum in 2024, which was granted by the Trump administration in April 2025.

  CNN

Oh. But this is somehow Biden's fault. I'm sure they'll tell us how.

Shortly after Trump’s remarks, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it has stopped processing all immigration cases related to Afghan immigrants “indefinitely pending further review.”

Why?

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has asked for 500 more National Guard troops to be deployed to DC. It also asked a federal appeals court for an emergency stay of an order from a federal judge to remove the National Guard from Washington, DC. Last week, the judge ruled the deployment was unlawful.

Oh, here it is... 

Lakanwal is believed to be from Afghanistan and came to the United States in 2021 under the Biden administration.

[...]

"He previously worked with the USG, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar that ended in 2021 following the withdrawal from Afghanistan," CIA director John Ratcliffe said on Thursday.

[...]

On Tuesday, during the traditional turkey pardoning at the White House, Trump touted his administration's takeover of D.C. streets. He said it was "one of our most unsafe places anywhere in the United States. It is now considered a totally safe city."

  ABC

Ooops. Spoke too soon.