US President Donald Trump has revealed that asylum halt following Washington DC shooting will last for “long time.”
According to The Guardian, Trump has said his administration intends to maintain a pause on asylum decisions for “a long time”, after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members near the White House, killing one of them.
When asked to specify how long it would last, Trump said he had “no time limit” in mind for the measure, which the Department of Homeland Security says is linked to a list of 19 countries already facing US travel restrictions.
“We don’t want those people,” Trump continued. “You know why we don’t want them? Because many have been no good, and they shouldn’t be in our country.”
The decision followed the shooting near the White House on Wednesday, which resulted in the death of a 20-year-old National Guard member and left another critically wounded.
The suspect is a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the US in September 2021.
He faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with the shooting.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday that investigators believe the suspect was radicalized after arriving in the US.
"I will say we believe he was radicalized since he's been here in this country," Noem said on NBC's Meet the Press.
Noem said authorities are seeking more information from his relatives and associates.
