President Trump said Wednesday that the “heinous assault” on two National Guard members near the White House demonstrates that what he called lax migration policies represent “the single greatest national security threat facing our nation.” “No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival,” he said in a video message released on social media. His remarks highlight his determination to overhaul the nation’s immigration system and intensify scrutiny of migrants already in the United States, the AP reports. With wide-ranging deportation efforts already underway, Trump’s response to the shooting signaled that his approach will remain unchanged.
According to Trump and two law enforcement officials, the suspect in the attack is believed to be an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in September 2021, following the collapse of the Kabul government and the rapid evacuation of civilians during the Taliban takeover. Officials say the 29-year-old arrived through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era initiative that resettled tens of thousands of Afghans—many of whom had supported U.S. forces and diplomats as interpreters and aides. Roughly 76,000 Afghans were brought to the United States under the program.
Operation Allies Welcome has faced criticism from Trump, congressional Republicans, and some government watchdogs, who argue that the vetting process was rushed and left security gaps. Supporters of the program counter that it provided essential protection for people facing Taliban reprisals. In his remarks, Trump described Afghanistan as “a hellhole on earth” and said his administration would reexamine all individuals who entered from the country during President Biden’s tenure—a review he said had already been planned before the shooting.
Trump also turned his attention to Minnesota, arguing that “hundreds of thousands of Somalians” were “ripping apart that once-great state.” Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the U.S., numbering about 87,000 people, many of whom arrived as refugees over several decades.
Vice President JD Vance, posting on social media, blamed Biden for “opening the floodgate to unvetted Afghan refugees,” adding that “they shouldn’t have been in our country.” He criticized media outlets that have argued immigration enforcement has become overly strict, writing, “Tonight is a reminder of why they’re wrong.” In response to the incident, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would halt all immigration processing for Afghan nationals while it conducts a review of security and vetting procedures.