Noem says National Guard shooting suspect was ‘radicalized’ in the U.S.

WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” Sunday that authorities believe the suspect in the National Guard shooting was radicalized in the U.S. and that the asylum process for migrants would resume once the administration has dealt with a backlog of applications under new standards following the attack.

Her comments come after Trump said he would “permanently pause” migration from “third world countries” after the suspect in the National Guard shooting was identified as an Afghan national. NBC News previously reported that the suspect was granted asylum this year.

Noem said during Sunday’s interview that the administration believes that the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was “radicalized since he’s been here in this country.”

“We do believe it was through connections in his home community and state, and we’re going to continue to talk to those who interacted with him,” Noem said.

In a separate interview on ABC News’ “This Week,” Noem said that the suspect “could have been radicalized” in the U.S.

NBC News has reported that Lakanwal, who served alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan, came to the U.S. in 2021, during the Biden administration, but was granted asylum during the Trump administration.

Lakanwal will be charged with first-degree murder, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said last week. National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom died last week, and National Guard member Andrew Wolfe is still hospitalized.

Asked about the vetting process to approve his asylum claim during the Trump administration, Noem argued that “vetting is happening when they come into the country, and that was completely abandoned under Joe Biden’s administration.”

She also said that “the vetting process all happened under Joe Biden’s administration.” In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Attorney General Pam Bondi claimed that there was “minimal to little vetting” of people who were granted entry to the U.S. through the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program. The Trump administration has not provided evidence that the Biden administration did not thoroughly vet the suspect.

NBC News has reported that the suspect was among a group of the most extensively vetted Afghans who worked alongside U.S. forces. He would have been vetted again when he applied for asylum, according to multiple officials. He was granted asylum in April during the Trump administration.

A Biden spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., said in a separate interview on “Meet the Press” that the Trump administration is “going to blame Joe Biden on everything.”

“It is almost getting comical at this point,” he added.

Last week, the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a post on X that “USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”

Noem said that the asylum process would resume after the backlog of cases was “cleared up” and vetted under the Trump administration’s standards.

“The individuals who are here in this country on that program need to be vetted under our standards that we’re implementing under President Trump to ensure that they even should be in our country, and if they’re not, removed immediately,” Noem said.

Asked whether she would move to deport people with pending asylum claims, Noem said, “We will if they should be.”

“Absolutely, yes,” she added.

Kelly said in his interview that “it sounds like there was some vetting done in the last administration.”

“It sounds like they did not do enough vetting before they gave him his asylum claim,” he added. “She talked about changing the vetting process. I think that’s a good idea.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com