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Trump calls for review of Afghan immigrants after National Guard shooting

President Trump鈥檚 remarks after an assault on National Guard members underscore his intention to reshape the immigration system and increase scrutiny of migrants already in the U.S.

First Look

President Donald Trump said Wednesday鈥檚 鈥渉einous assault鈥� on two National Guard members near the White House proves that lax migration policies are 鈥渢he single greatest national security threat facing our nation.鈥�

鈥淣o country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival,鈥� he said.

President Trump鈥檚 remarks, released in a video on social media, underscores his intention to reshape the country鈥檚 immigration system and increase scrutiny of migrants who are already here. With aggressive deportation efforts already underway, his response to the shooting showed that his focus will not waver.

The suspect in the shooting is believed to be an Afghan national, according to Mr. Trump and two law enforcement officials. He entered the United States in September 2021, after the chaotic collapse of the government in Kabul, when Americans were frantically evacuating people as the Taliban took control.

The 29-year-old suspect was part of Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden-era program that resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal from the country, officials said. The initiative brought roughly 76,000 Afghans to the United States, many of whom had worked alongside American troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators.

It has since faced intense scrutiny from Mr. Trump and his allies, congressional Republicans and some government watchdogs over gaps in the vetting process and the speed of admissions, even as advocates say it offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.

Mr. Trump described Afghanistan as 鈥渁 hellhole on earth,鈥� and he said his administration would review everyone who entered from the country under President Joe Biden 鈥� a measure his administration had before the incident.

During his remarks, Mr. Trump also swung his focus to Minnesota, where he complained about 鈥渉undreds of thousands of Somalians鈥� who are 鈥渞ipping apart that once-great state.鈥�

Minnesota has the country鈥檚 largest Somali community, roughly 87,000 people. Many came as refugees over the years.

The reference to immigrants with no connection to Wednesday鈥檚 developments was a reminder of the scope of Mr. Trump鈥檚 ambitions to rein in migration.

Administration officials have been ramping up deportations of people in the country illegally, as well as clamping down on refugee admissions. The focus has involved the realignment of resources at federal agencies, stirring concern about potentially undermining other law enforcement priorities.

However, Mr. Trump鈥檚 remarks were a signal that scrutiny of migrants and the nation鈥檚 borders will only increase. He said he wants to remove anyone 鈥渨ho does not belong here or does not add benefit to our country.鈥�

鈥淚f they can鈥檛 love our country, we don鈥檛 want them,鈥� Mr. Trump added.

Afterward, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would indefinitely stop processing all immigration requests for Afghan nationals pending a review of security and vetting protocols.

Supporters of Afghan evacuees said they feared that people who escaped danger from the Taliban would now face renewed suspicion and scrutiny.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want people to leverage this tragedy into a political ploy,鈥� said Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac.

He said Wednesday鈥檚 shooting should not shed a negative light on the tens of thousands of Afghan nationals who have gone through the various legal pathways to resettling in the U.S. and those who await in the pipeline.

Under Operation Allies Welcome, tens of thousands of Afghans were first brought to U.S. military bases around the country, where they completed immigration processing and medical evaluations before settling into the country. Four years later, there are still scores of Afghans who were evacuated at transit points in the Middle East and Europe as part of the program.

Those in countries like Qatar and Albania, who have undergone the rigorous process, have been left in limbo since Mr. Trump entered his second term and paused the program as part of his series of executive actions cracking down on immigration.

Vice President JD Vance, writing on social media, criticized former President Biden for 鈥渙pening the floodgate to unvetted Afghan refugees,鈥� adding that 鈥渢hey shouldn鈥檛 have been in our country.鈥�

鈥淎lready some voices in corporate media chirp that our immigration policies are too harsh,鈥� he said. 鈥淭onight is a reminder of why they鈥檙e wrong.鈥�

This article is by The Associated Press. Farnoush Amiri reported from New York. AP writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.