Trump steps up immigration crackdown after National Guard member dies in DC attack
Donald Trump has said he will “permanently stop immigration from all third world countries”, a day after two National Guard members were shot in Washington DC in an attack that has become a political flashpoint in the president’s ongoing crackdown on immigration.
In a social media post starting with “A very nice thank you” sent just after 11pm on Thursday, the US President said his administration would “end all federal benefits and subsidies for non-citizens” and “deport any person who is not a net asset of the United States”.
It is unclear how the President would implement such a “pause” in migration. Previous sanctions issued by his administration have faced challenges in the courts and Congress.
Earlier in the night, Trump announced the death of Sarah Beckstrom, one of two Guard members shot in the attack near the White House on Wednesday. Authorities suspect the shooting was carried out by Rahmanullah Laqanwal, an Afghan national who entered the US in September 2021 under a Biden-era program that evacuated and resettled thousands of people from Afghanistan following the chaotic US withdrawal from the country.
major events
Trump was elected on a promise to crack down on illegal immigration and his second term has been characterized by a campaign of mass deportations.
Construction sites and schools have been frequent targets. The possibility of more deportations could be economically dangerous because America’s foreign-born workers account for about 31 million jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Guardian’s immigration crackdown tracker is counting down Trump’s enforcement campaign:
Trump’s late-night Truth social posts were filled with anti-immigrant insults.
The president blamed immigrants for problems ranging from crime to housing shortages as part of “social dysfunction” in America and called for “reverse migration.”
Trump’s threat to curb immigration would be a serious blow to a country that has long defined itself as welcoming of immigrants.
The President said, without any evidence, that millions of people born outside America and now living there are to blame for America’s social ills.
“Only reverse migration can fully remedy this situation,” Trump wrote. “Also, thanks to everyone, except those who hate, steal, murder and destroy everything America stands for – you won’t be here long!”
One of two US National Guard soldiers killed in a targeted attack near the White House this week has died, while the other is fighting for his life, Donald Trump has announced.
As part of his message of thanks to US troops late Thursday night, the US President said he had been informed that 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom has succumbed to her wounds.
“Sarah Beckstrom of West Virginia, one of the Guardsmen we’re talking about, highly respected, young, wonderful individual … she has just passed away. She is no longer with us,” Trump said in his first live comments since the shooting on Wednesday.
Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, is ‘fighting for his life,’ Trump said. Photograph: Nathan Howard/Reuters
Trump said the second Guard member, Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life”.
Beckstrom’s father told The New York Times in a phone call earlier in the day that his daughter was unlikely to recover. “I’m holding his hand right now,” Gary Beckstrom said. “He has a mortal wound. It’s not going to heal.”
Trump steps up immigration crackdown after National Guard member dies in DC attack
Donald Trump has said he will “permanently stop immigration from all third world countries”, a day after two National Guard members were shot in Washington DC in an attack that has become a political flashpoint in the president’s ongoing crackdown on immigration.
In a social media post starting with “A very nice thank you” sent just after 11pm on Thursday, the US President said his administration would “end all federal benefits and subsidies for non-citizens” and “deport any person who is not a net asset of the United States”.
It is unclear how the President would implement such a “pause” in migration. Previous sanctions issued by his administration have faced challenges in the courts and Congress.
Earlier in the night, Trump announced the death of Sarah Beckstrom, one of two Guard members shot in the attack near the White House on Wednesday. Authorities suspect the shooting was carried out by Rahmanullah Laqanwal, an Afghan national who entered the US in September 2021 under a Biden-era program that evacuated and resettled thousands of people from Afghanistan following the chaotic US withdrawal from the country.
<a href