US President Donald Trump said asylum admissions for citizens of several countries, including Afghanistan, will remain suspended for “a long time,” following the DC shooting that involved an Afghan national.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump was asked about the attack in which an Afghan man allegedly opened fire on two US National Guard soldiers, one of whom later died. “Yes, they are people who should not have been in our country this year,” he said.
Pressed on how long the suspension would last, Trump replied: “We don’t want them. We have enough problems. We don’t want them. No, there’s no time limit. But it could be a long time. We don’t want them. Do you understand that?”
Trump said the United States should not admit people from countries he described as unstable or hostile. “Many of them are not good and should not be here. People from countries that are not friendly to us, countries that are disordered and unstable — places like Somalia, where they have almost no government or army or police. They come here and tell us how to run our country. We don’t want that,” he said.
His comments came after he sent a telegram on Friday instructing all US consulates worldwide to halt visa processing for Afghan nationals, including applicants for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) programme for Afghans who assisted the United States during the 20-year war.
Reuters reported that the telegram said previously scheduled appointments for Afghan visa applicants would not be cancelled but that consular officers must refrain from issuing visas when those interviews take place. The State Department has already directed that any authorised visas not yet printed must be reversed and cancelled, while printed visas should be voided and updated in the system.
According to the telegram, the purpose of the halt is to ensure “the identity and eligibility of applicants under US law.” It instructs consular officers to reject all immigrant and non-immigrant visa applications submitted by Afghan citizens, including SIV applicants.
Reuters said the action effectively suspends the SIV programme for Afghans who worked with US forces and agencies during the American presence in Afghanistan.
The move follows last week’s shooting incident in Washington, in which Rahmanullah Lakanwal, identified as a former member of a CIA-backed Afghan paramilitary unit, was charged with shooting two National Guard soldiers. One later died. US Citizenship and Immigration Services subsequently halted processing of Afghan immigration applications indefinitely.
