US President Donald Trump blames immigrants from third-world countries after two National Guard members were shot by an Afghan national in Washington, DC. In a late-night social media post, Trump announced a dramatic clampdown on migration from the said countries.
The US President also pledged to end federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens and vowed to remove anyone ‘who is not a net asset to the United States’.
Posted after 11 p.m. on Thanksgiving, Trump appears to be intensifying his second-term anti-immigrant agenda, though it offered few details on implementation.
The DC Shooter
The timing of Trump’s statement came shortly after authorities identified Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, as the suspect in the shooting near the White House on Wednesday.
One National Guard member, Sarah Beckstrom, died from her injuries, while Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. Lakanwal was also injured during the attack and is currently in custody.
The President framed the attack as a reminder of the importance of controlling who enters and remains in the country. In his post, he suggested that incidents like this justify stricter immigration oversight.
Legal experts note that past attempts at similar bans have faced challenges in courts and Congress, making the practical effect of his announcement uncertain as of now.
‘Permanently Paused’ Migration from Third World Countries
Following the shooting, federal agencies moved quickly to tighten controls on migration. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) suspended processing of immigration requests for Afghan nationals, pending review.
USCIS director Joseph Edlow explained that a ‘full-scale, rigorous re-examination’ of green cards for all individuals from ‘countries of concern’ would be conducted at Trump’s direction. There was no official list on what these countries are, but Edlow referenced a previous travel ban issued in June on 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Burundi, Laos, Togo, Venezuela, Sierra Leone, and Turkmenistan.
At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security later expanded this review to include all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration. However, officials did not clarify whether this applies solely to Afghanistan or multiple countries.
Trump on Somali Communities
In his post, Trump also singled out Somali communities in Minnesota, repeating his earlier pledge to end temporary protected status for people from Somalia.
‘The shooting in Washington DC reminds us that we have no greater national security priority than ensuring full control over who enters and remains in our country’, Trump said, linking the attack directly to his immigration proposals.
His post mainly blamed migrants and refugees for rising crime and the federal deficit, though critics point out that these claims lack supporting evidence.
The Current Situation in Washington, DC
National guard troops have been stationed across Washington DC since August under a declared ‘crime emergency’ over ‘rising violence’, which the administration said endangered public servants and the ability of the federal government.
The order cited a high homicide rate, robbery, and vehicle-theft cases, asserting that DC had become one of the most ‘violent jurisdictions in the US.
Trump announced plans to deploy an additional 500 troops following the attack, despite a federal judge recently ordering an end to the deployment, though temporarily allowing a 21-day grace period for appeal.
Originally published on IBTimes UK
