Washington, 3 December (H.S.): US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says she has urged President Donald Trump to impose a “full travel ban” on additional countries she claims are “flooding” the United States with violent criminals and welfare‑dependent migrants, signalling a sharp expansion of the administration’s already broad immigration restrictions.

Noem said on social media that, after meeting Trump, she would recommend adding every country she views as sending “killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies” to an existing list of 19 mostly African, Middle Eastern, and Caribbean states already facing full or partial bans.

Ban Tied To Afghan Suspect

In DC Attack

The push follows the shooting of two West Virginia National Guard soldiers near the White House on 26 November, allegedly by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered in 2021 under the Biden‑era Operation Allies Welcome programme and later received asylum.

One guard member, 20‑year‑old Sarah Beckstrom, died of her wounds, while 24‑year‑old Andrew Wolfe remains in serious condition, prompting Trump officials to halt all asylum decisions nationwide and freeze visa processing for Afghans while vetting procedures are reviewed.

Internal emails cited by US media indicate the suspect had struggled with mental health issues after resettlement, a detail now fueling debate over both screening and post‑arrival support for evacuees.

Trump Threatens ‘Permanent Pause’ From ‘Third World’ Nations

Noem’s call dovetails with Trump’s recent Thanksgiving message vowing to “permanently pause migration” from all so‑called “third world countries,” revoke federal benefits for most non‑citizens, and pursue mass deportations and even denaturalisation of immigrants deemed security risks or “non‑compatible with Western civilisation.”

The White House argues refugees and other migrants are driving “social dysfunction” and insists only “net assets” should be allowed to stay, while critics, the UN, and Afghan advocacy groups warn that blanket suspensions and expanded bans violate international refugee obligations and punish entire communities for the crime of one individual.

Afghan community organisations in the US have expressed sympathy for the victims’ families but pleaded with Trump not to derail or delay protection for thousands who aided American forces over two decades of war.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar