Washington– President Donald Trump said that the “heinous attack” that occurred on Wednesday Two National Guardsmen Council members near the White House prove that lax immigration policies are “the greatest national security threat facing our nation.”
He added: “No country can bear such a danger that threatens our very survival.”
Trump’s comments, posted in a video on social media, underscore his intention to reshape the country’s immigration system and increase scrutiny of immigrants already here. With extensive deportation efforts already underway, his response to the shooting showed that his focus would not waver.
The suspect in the shooting is believed to be an Afghan national, according to Trump and two law enforcement officials. He entered the United States in September 2021, after Chaotic collapse The government in Kabul, when the Americans were frantically evacuating people as the Taliban took control.
Officials said the 29-year-old suspect was part of Operation Welcoming Allies, a Biden-era program that resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US withdrawal from the country. This initiative brought nearly 76,000 Afghans to the United States, many of whom had already done so She worked alongside American forces and diplomats as interpreters and translators.
It has since faced intense scrutiny from Trump, his allies, Republicans in Congress and some government watchdogs over loopholes in the vetting process and speed of admission, even as supporters say it provides a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban retaliation.
Trump described Afghanistan as “hell on earth” and said his administration would review everyone who entered the country under President Joe Biden – a measure his administration took. It’s already planned Before the accident.
During his remarks, Trump also turned his focus to Minnesota, where he complained of “hundreds of thousands of Somalis” who are “tearing apart that once-great state.”
Minnesota has the country The largest Somali communityapproximately 87,000 people. Many came as refugees over the years.
The reference to immigrants unrelated to Wednesday’s developments was a reminder of the scope of Trump’s ambitions to rein in immigration.
Administration officials are stepping up deportations of people in the country illegally, as well as cracking down on refugee admissions. The focus has included reorganizing resources at federal agencies, Arouse anxiety About potentially undermining other law enforcement priorities.
However, Trump’s comments were a signal that scrutiny of immigrants and the country’s borders will increase. He said he wanted to remove anyone who “doesn’t belong here or doesn’t add benefit to our country.”
Trump added: “If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.”
Subsequently, USCIS announced that it would indefinitely stop processing all immigration applications for Afghan citizens pending a review of security protocols and vetting.
Evacuated Afghan supporters They said they feared people who fled the Taliban threat would now face renewed suspicion and scrutiny.
“I don’t want people to exploit this tragedy as a political ploy,” said Sean Van Diver, president of #AfghanEvac.
He said Wednesday’s shooting should not cast a negative light on the situation Tens of thousands of Afghan citizens Those who have gone through the various legal paths to resettlement in the United States and those who are waiting.
As part of Operation Welcoming Allies, tens of thousands of Afghans were brought for the first time to US military bases across the country, where they completed immigration procedures and medical assessments before settling in the country. Four years later, there are still dozens of Afghan evacuees at crossing points in the Middle East and Europe as part of the program.
Those in countries like Qatar and Albania who underwent the strict process have been left in limbo since Trump entered his second term and temporarily suspended the program as part of his series of executive actions aimed at cracking down on immigration.
Writing on social media, Vice President J.D. Vance criticized Biden for “opening the door to unvetted Afghan refugees,” adding that they “should not have been in our country.”
“Some voices in the corporate media are already tweeting that our immigration policies are too harsh,” he said. “Tonight is a reminder of why they were wrong.”
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Amiri reported from New York. Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.