Trump vows ‘permanent pause’ on some immigration after National Guard shooting : NPR

After an Afghan national was named as the man behind the shooting in Washington, D.C., which left one National Guard member dead and another in critical condition, President Trump vowed to take an intensified crackdown on immigration from countries he described as the “Third World.”

Writing on social media Thursday night, Trump criticized immigrants from poor countries, accusing them of being a burden on the country’s welfare system and “preying” on natural-born citizens.

“I would permanently stop immigration from all third world countries to completely fix the American system,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“Only reverse migration can fully remedy this situation.”

The Trump administration is already deporting some immigrants either to their country of origin or to third countries, many of which are paid to receive them. Venezuelans were deported from the US to El Salvador, many migrants were sent to Eswatini and South Sudan, and Rwanda has agreed to accept the deportees.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services director Joseph Edlow wrote on social media that he had been directed to conduct a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern.”

Edlow did not specify which countries would be included, and USCIS did not respond to an NPR request for comment. But the White House announced in June a travel ban on 12 countries of concern.

These included several African nations suffering from conflict and terrorism such as Chad, Sudan and Somalia, as well as other countries such as Afghanistan. Partial sanctions were imposed on other 7 countries.

In a statement to CNN, the Department of Homeland Security said it has already halted all immigration requests coming from Afghanistan and is in the process of reviewing “all” asylum cases approved under former President Biden.

The department did not respond to NPR’s request for comment.

History of anti-immigrant sentiment

The president’s latest rally against immigration was triggered by the revelation that the alleged shooter was identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal – a 29-year-old Afghan national who worked with the CIA fighting the Taliban in his native country and was admitted to the United States in 2021 as a result of his service. In a Thanksgiving Day call with troops, Trump described the shooting as a terrorist attack and the shooter as a “wild monster.”

He blamed the Biden administration for Lacanval’s entry into the United States and the general failure of the immigration system.

He broadly referred to immigration seekers as gang members, the mentally ill and previously incarcerated people, saying, “For the most part, we don’t want them.”

Trump ran both successful White House campaigns on pledges to crack down on illegal immigration, targeting migrants from countries including Mexico and Somalia at various points.

Speaking to reporters Thursday after a Thanksgiving call, Trump broadened the scope of his attack to focus not just on the alleged shooter but on his crusade against immigration in general.

When asked by a reporter about the fact that Lakanwal, as a former CIA asset, was investigated, Trump repeatedly called the reporter an “idiot.”

Asked by another reporter whether he blamed all Afghans for the alleged actions of any one, Trump said: “No, but there are a lot of problems with the Afghans.”

Trump then turned his attention to immigrants from Somalia, whom he has repeatedly accused of being gang-related and “taken over.” Minnesota – Home to the nation’s largest Somali community.

Asked what the Somalians had to do with the D,C, shooting, Trump said: “Nothing,” But, he said, “the Somalis have caused a lot of trouble,” ,

Later on social media, he described “Somalian gangs” in Minnesota as “roaming the streets looking for ‘victims’ as our wonderful people remain locked in their apartments and homes with little hope that they will be left alone.”

United Nations officials on Friday criticized Trump’s call for a blanket ban on immigration seekers.

“They are entitled to protection under international law and should be given due process,” UN human rights office spokesman Jeremy Lawrence told reporters in Geneva.