The US President vowed to ‘re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden’ while a halt on immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals was later announced
Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack at Joe Biden’s presidency following the identification of the suspected shooter of two guards by the White House. The US President labelled the former president the ‘worst in the history of our country’ for letting in ’20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners’.
Donald Trump spoke to the nation to address the “heinous assault” that took place on Wednesday, November 26 where two National Guard soldiers were on duty when they were shot in a targeted attack. The President said: “This was an act of evil and act of hatred and act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation.
“It was a crime against humanity. The hearts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families. As we are filled with anguish and grief for those who were shot we are also filled with righteous anger.”
The president went on to state that he is “determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price.”
The suspect has been widely reported to be an Afghan national, who has been named as Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
Trump added: “He was flown in by the Biden administration in September 2021 on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about. Nobody knew who was coming in, nobody knew anything about it.
“His status was extended under legislation signed by president Biden. A disastrous president, the worst in the history of our country. This attack underscored the single greatest national security threat facing our nation.”
A relative of the suspected shooter said the suspect served alongside US Special Forces troops in Afghanistan before coming to the US, according to NBC News. They said Lakanwal served in the Afghan Army for 10 years and was stationed at a base in Kandahar for part of that time.
The relative served with Lakanwal and went on to say to NBC: “We were the ones that were targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan. I cannot believe it that he might do this.”
Trump said: “The last administration let in 20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners from all over the world, from places you don’t even want to know about. No country can tolerate such a risk to our very survival.
“We’re not going to put up with these kind of assaults on law and order by people who shouldn’t even be in our country. We must now re examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”
The Government later announced a freeze on immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals.
A post on X from US Citizenship and Immigration Services read: “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols. The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
An Afghan advocacy group also expressed their sadness in relation to the attack but following Trump’s comments said it should not be used to “isolate or harm” Afghans who came to resettle in America.
“We reject and condemn anyone who uses, or seeks to use, violence, and we stand with every American who is horrified and saddened by this crime,” said Shawn VanDiver, president of the San Diego-based group AfghanEvac, adding that the perpetrator should face “full accountability and prosecution under the law”.
VanDiver noted that Afghan immigrants and wartime allies who resettle in the U.S. undergo extensive security vetting, and that “this individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community”.
“Those who would twist this moment to attack Afghan families aren’t seeking safety or justice — they’re exploiting division and endangering all of us,” he said.
In response to the attack Trump has deployed an additional 500 troops to ‘help protect the capital city’. He said that he will work to ensure the perpetrator of the “barbaric attack” is punished.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
#Donald #Trump #attacks #Biden #letting #aliens #suspected #Washington #shooter #identified
