Donald Trump said he would “permanently suspend migration from all third world countries” the day after two National Guard members were shot and killed in Washington, D.C., in an attack that has become a political flashpoint in the president's ongoing crackdown on immigration.
In a “Happy Thanksgiving” social media post sent after 11 pm on Thursday, the US president said his administration would “end all federal benefits and subsidies to non-citizens” and eliminate “anyone who is not a net asset of the United States.”
It is unclear how the president will implement such a “pause” in migration. Previous bans imposed by his administration have faced challenges in the courts and Congress.
Earlier in the evening, Trump announced death of Sarah Beckstromone of two guards shot and killed in an attack near the White House on Wednesday. Authorities suspect the shooting was carried out by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in September 2021 as part of a Biden-era program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.
He was granted asylum in April this year under the Trump administration, Reuters reported, and on Thursday the CIA confirmed that he worked with military units with agency support during the US war in Afghanistan.
Lakanwal was injured in the attack and remains in custody. The second National Guard member, 24-year-old Andrew Wolf, is still fighting for his life, the president said.
The president's late-night post appeared to mark an escalation of anti-immigrant policies during his second term, which has been dominated by a campaign of mass deportations.
In his post, the president attacked migrants living in the US and singled out Somali communities in Minnesota after promising last week end temporary protected status for Somalis in the state.
Earlier in the day, Trump announced the shooting Washington, DC “Reminds us that we have no greater national security priority than ensuring complete control over the people who enter and remain in our country.”
24 hours after the shooting, the president and members of his administration announced sweeping immigration reforms. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that processing of immigration requests involving Afghan nationals has been suspended indefinitely pending further review.
The Department of Homeland Security later said the administration was expanding the rule to include a review of all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration. The department did not specify whether it processes all asylum cases only from Afghanistan or from other countries.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in a statement that he is also directing a “full and thorough re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern” at Trump's request.
Edlow's statement did not specify which countries are considered areas of concern. USCIS pointed to the travel ban imposed by Trump in June on citizens of 19 countries.including Afghanistan, Burundi, Laos, Togo, Venezuela, Sierra Leone and Turkmenistan.
The travel ban, enacted in 2017 during Trump's first term, was widely criticized and met with legal and public resistance when Trump tried to impose it immediately after taking office. The policy was overhauled by the White House after lengthy legal battles, but was rescinded by Joe Biden in 2021.
National Guard troops have been deployed throughout Washington since August. when the Trump administration declared a “crime emergency” and ordered them to support federal and local law enforcement.
Shortly after Wednesday's shooting, Trump said he would send 500 more National Guard troops to Washington.
Last week, a federal judge ordered a halt to the National Guard deployment but also suspended his order for 21 days to allow Trump administration It's time to either withdraw the troops or file an appeal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
