Two U.S. National Guard members were shot near D.C. this week in a targeted attack allegedly carried out by an Afghan national who entered the country during the chaotic and deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan during the Biden administration. The suspect was part of a cohort of evacuees who weren’t fully vetted—a fact now admitted by former federal officials. In response, the Trump administration has suspended Afghan refugee processing pending an internal review.

Some will say this means closing borders to the desperate. That’s a false accusation. Limiting immigration is about making sure that the generosity of the United States doesn’t become a weapon used against its own. Vetting matters. National security must come before political optics. When an asylum policy is executed recklessly, with corners cut and red flags ignored, American lives pay the price.

This tragedy is the direct consequence of a dangerous Biden administration policy pattern: lead with emotion, ignore the risk, and hope no one gets hurt. The Trump administration is working to change this deadly paradigm for good.