The death of the soldier shot by an Afghan in Washington raises political tension / Trump: the US “will permanently suspend migration from third world countries”

The White House announced tough measures to stop migration and to check foreign citizens who have already entered the US from several countries, a day after the incident in the US capital, treated by the authorities as a terrorist attack, writes Reuters.

A National Guard soldier died Thursday after being shot near the White House in an ambush that investigators say was set up by an Afghan national.

Donald Trump blamed the attack on Biden-era failures to vet immigrants, ordering a sweeping overhaul of asylum cases.

Sarah Beckstrom, 20, reportedly died at the hospital from her injuries, while her colleague, Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life,” Trump said, as investigators conducted what officials called a terror probe after Wednesday's attack.

“I want to express the pain and horror of our entire nation at yesterday's terrorist attack in our nation's capital, in which a wild monster shot and killed two members of the West Virginia National Guard who were deployed as part of the DC Task Force,” Trump said in a Thanksgiving phone call with U.S. military service members.

Blaming the administration of his White House predecessor, President Joe Biden, Trump said the alleged attacker, whom he described as “crazy,” was among thousands of Afghans who entered the country unchecked as the U.S. made a chaotic 2021 withdrawal.

Trump said the suspect's “atrocity” “reminds us that we have no higher national security priority than making sure we have full control over people entering and remaining in our country.”

“I will permanently suspend migration from all third world countries”

Trump later said his administration would work to “permanently suspend” migration from all “third world countries” to allow the US system to fully recover.

Trump did not identify any countries by name or explain what he meant by “third world countries” or “permanent suspension.”

He said the plan would also include cases approved during former President Joe Biden's administration.

“I will permanently suspend immigration from all third world countries to allow the American system to fully rebuild, cancel all of Biden's millions of illegal admissions, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States,” he said on his social platform, Truth Social.

Trump said he would end all federal benefits and subsidies for “non-citizens,” adding that he would “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic peace” and deport any foreign national deemed a public burden, a security risk or “incompatible with Western civilization.”

According to a US government file seen by Reuters, the alleged shooter was granted asylum this year under the Trump administration. US Citizenship and Immigration Services on Wednesday suspended indefinitely the processing of all immigration applications involving Afghan nationals.

“These goals will be pursued with the goal of significantly reducing illegal and disruptive populations,” Trump said.

Who is the suspect?

The FBI searched several properties in a wide-ranging investigation, including a home in Washington state linked to the suspect, who officials said was part of a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan before coming to the U.S. in 2021 as part of a resettlement program.

Agents seized numerous electronic devices from the residence of the suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, including cellphones, laptops and iPads, and questioned his relatives, FBI Director Kash Patel said at a news conference.

The United States Attorney General for Washington, DC, Jeanine Pirro, said the suspect drove across the country and then shot Guard members while they were on patrol near the White House on Wednesday afternoon.

Armed with a high-powered revolver, a .357 Magnum, the attacker shot the two before being wounded in a shootout with other troops. He is in the hospital in serious condition, Trump said.

The attacker, who lived in Washington state with his wife and five children, appears to have acted alone, said Jeff Carroll, executive deputy chief of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department.

Asked if he planned to deport the suspect's wife and five children who live in Washington state, Trump said: “We are reviewing the whole situation with the family.”

The program that brought the suspect into the U.S., which allowed more than 70,000 Afghan nationals to enter, according to a congressional report, was designed with vetting procedures, including by U.S. counterterrorism and intelligence agencies.

But the scale and haste of the evictions have led critics to say background checks have been ineffective.

The Trump administration has launched a review of all asylum cases approved under the Biden administration, as well as green cards issued to citizens of 19 countries, Department of Homeland Security officials said.