Aboard Air Force One, US President Donald Trump doubled down on his administration’s hard-line immigration agenda, telling reporters that he intends to launch what he called “reverse migration" in the wake of the deadly National Guard shooting near the White House.
Asked to clarify the term, Trump said, “It means get people out that are in our country, get them out of here. I want to get them out."
He went on to blame his predecessor and former President Joe Biden, saying, “We’ve got a lot of people, he’s the worst President in the history of our country, but the single biggest thing he did was allow millions, the worst, allow millions of people into our country that shouldn’t be here."
Trump referenced the suspect in the attack near the White House, which killed Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, both members of the West Virginia National Guard deployed to Washington as part of his crime-fighting operation.
“You take a look at the people that were allowed to come into our country, we’re paying a big price for it and we will for years to come, including the recent killer of two wonderful National Guard people," he said.
“And I’ll tell you what, that animal should not have been allowed to come into our country," Trump said.
The suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a resettlement initiative created during the Biden administration for Afghans who assisted US forces during the Afghanistan War.
The Associated Press quoted a resettlement advocacy group as saying that Lakanwal applied for asylum under the previous administration and was granted it earlier this year under Trump.
He previously worked in a CIA-backed Afghan Army unit and lived in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Trump’s administration halted all asylum determinations and paused visa issuance for individuals travelling on Afghan passports.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said decisions would be frozen “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately announced the halt on Afghan passport visas.
Federal prosecutors have charged Lakanwal with first-degree murder and multiple counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said there would be “many changes to come."
The administration has ordered an additional 500 National Guard members to the capital, bringing the total assigned to the joint task force to nearly 2,200.
An Army spokesperson said more deployments from state governors are expected, AP reported.
