What was the official date Rahmanullah Lakanwal was granted asylum in the United States?

1. What the major outlets report: April 2025 (April 23 cited by Reuters)

News organizations reporting on the November 2025 Washington, D.C. shooting consistently say Lakanwal applied for asylum in late 2024 and that his asylum application was granted in April 2025; Reuters and outlets that cite a U.S. government file identify April 23, 2025 as the approval date ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Other outlets — CNN-linked pieces, ABC, NPR, Newsweek and The Daily Beast — summarize the timing as “April 2025” without always repeating the precise day ^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}.

2. Source types and how they reached that date

The April 23, 2025 date appears in reporting based on a U.S. government file reviewed by Reuters and on anonymous Trump administration officials speaking to Reuters; other news organizations cite law-enforcement sources or reporting that converges on “April 2025” for the asylum approval ^{[1] [2] [6]}. NPR and ABC report that he “was granted asylum in April 2025” and reference law-enforcement or nonprofit sources for other biographical details ^{[5] [6]}.

3. Where the evidence is stronger and where it is thin

Reuters’ account is the most specific in the set of provided sources because it cites a government file and names April 23, 2025 ^{[1] [2]}. Multiple other outlets corroborate the month and year but do not always quote a day; when they do, they reference reporting that aligns with Reuters’ timeline ^{[4] [7] [5]}. Available sources do not mention an official asylum approval document publicly released by the Department of Homeland Security with that exact date; the reporting relies on government files and law-enforcement sources as the basis for the April 23 claim ^{[2] [1]}.

4. Alternative viewpoints and political context

The asylum date became politically charged immediately after the shooting: President Trump and Trump administration officials pointed to the case to criticize Biden-era vetting, while some critics pushed back noting Lakanwal arrived under Operation Allies Welcome in 2021 and that the asylum approval occurred in 2025 under the Trump administration — a timeline emphasized by multiple outlets ^{[2] [8] [9]}. Commentators and officials on different sides use the timing selectively: some attribute responsibility to Biden-era policies because of the 2021 evacuation program that brought him to the U.S., others note the formal asylum approval happened under Trump and argue the later vetting and approval are relevant ^{[9] [8]}.

5. What is not established in the provided reporting

Available sources do not mention a public, signed asylum approval notice released for independent verification; the precise administrative record or adjudicator who signed any asylum approval is not included in the provided reporting (not found in current reporting). The materials also do not include a published DHS press release that names the asylum approval date, nor do they provide a scanned approval form in the public domain within these search results (not found in current reporting).

6. How to interpret the reporting as a reader

Given multiple independent outlets citing the same month and Reuters citing April 23, 2025 from a government file, the best-supported answer in current reporting is: asylum was approved in April 2025, with April 23, 2025 reported as the approval date by Reuters and repeated by outlets that rely on the Reuters file or the same government sources ^{[1] [2] [4]}. However, because the primary public document (an asylum approval form) is not included in these sources, that specific day rests on government files and anonymous official accounts as reported by news organizations ^{[2] [1]}.

If you want, I can: (a) compile the exact headlines and bylines that cite April 23, 2025, (b) look for a public DHS or immigration record that confirms the approval stamp, or (c) summarize how different political actors have used the date in statements. Which would you prefer?