Johnson Greenlights House Probe Into Violence Against Law Enforcement
The House Homeland Security Committee will convene Wednesday for a high-profile hearing examining the alarming surge in violence against law enforcement officers — a trend that has intensified even as President Donald J. Trump’s administration deploys National Guard units and federal assets to restore order in crime-plagued cities.
The hearing arrives just days after two National Guard members, deployed to Washington, D.C., under President Trump’s sweeping anti-crime initiative, were ambushed near the White House. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom succumbed to her injuries, while 24-year-old U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remains in serious condition but is reportedly showing “positive” signs of recovery.
The tragedy followed another deadly attack on law enforcement earlier this year: a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in the Dallas area that left at least one person dead.
According to recently released FBI data, assaults on law enforcement reached a decade-high in 2023, with more than 79,000 attacks reported nationwide — a stark reminder of what police unions and conservative leaders have described as a nationwide breakdown in law-and-order fueled by years of Democrat-led “reform” efforts and soft-on-crime policies.
But instead of backing down, the Trump administration is intensifying its efforts to secure America’s borders and remove violent foreign nationals — especially after last month’s deadly attack on National Guard troops by an Afghan national admitted under President Joe Biden’s immigration program.
Noem, Trump Push for Expanded Travel Bans
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced she intends to recommend a new round of travel restrictions targeting countries contributing “significantly” to criminal activity inside the United States.
Noem revealed on social media Sunday that she had met with President Trump and would recommend “a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.”
Both President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reposted her remarks, signaling the administration’s interest in expanding its already aggressive national-security posture. DHS told the BBC that a formal list of impacted countries will be released soon.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking to Fox News, confirmed that President Trump had already implemented a travel ban several months ago, targeting what the administration labeled “third world and failed state” countries. Noem’s recommendations, Leavitt noted, would significantly broaden that list.
On June 4, the White House released a roster of 19 nations — largely in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean — scheduled for full or partial travel restrictions. According to U.S. officials who spoke with CBS News, Noem’s additions would bring the total to roughly 30.
Biden-Era Vetting Failures Under Scrutiny
Before announcing her travel-ban proposal, Noem pointed to the massive influx of Afghan nationals resettled in the United States under the Biden-era Operation Allies Welcome program, claiming that roughly 100,000 Afghans entered under the initiative and that DHS was now being forced to overhaul its vetting procedures.
The suspect in the D.C. shooting, Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in 2021 via the same program, which was created to resettle Afghans who had assisted U.S. forces during America’s 20-year military presence in the region. Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged Lakanwal with four counts, including murder.
The case has drawn sharp criticism from federal officials who say Biden’s mishandling of Afghan resettlement placed Americans at risk. Appearing on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle,” FBI Director Kash Patel blasted the previous administration’s failures.
“The problem with this case shows the emblematic failure of the Biden administration to vet anyone who came here from Afghanistan after the disastrous withdrawal,” Patel said.
Lakanwal remains hospitalized under police guard, according to the Justice Department, and a D.C. Superior Court judge has ordered he be held without bail.
Patel said investigators are working to determine how Lakanwal was radicalized.
“This is a sprawling international terrorism investigation that the FBI is leading out on,” Patel stated.
As lawmakers prepare for Wednesday’s hearing, the rising violence against America’s law enforcement personnel — from ICE officers to National Guard troops deployed by President Trump — is likely to take center stage in the growing debate over national security, immigration reform, and the consequences of the Biden-era border collapse.