US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration would maintain a freeze on asylum decisions “for a long time”.
“We don’t want those people,” Trump said. “You know why we don’t want them? Because many of them have been no good, and they shouldn’t be in our country.”
The President said there was “no time limit” for the break.
The decision was taken after a shooting near the White House on Wednesday, which resulted in the death of a 20-year-old National Guard member and serious injuries to another.
Noem says Afghan suspect in DC shootings likely radicalized in US
The suspect is a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the United States in September 2021.
He is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the shooting.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that investigators believe the suspect was radicalized after arriving in the United States.
“I would say we believe he was radicalized since he’s been in this country,” Noem said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Noem said authorities were seeking more information from her relatives and associates.
Suspect reportedly granted asylum under Trump
Officials have also given information about the suspect’s background. After the shootings, the administration said Afghans and other foreign nationals were not adequately vetted under former President Joe Biden.
However, the suspect was reportedly granted asylum in April 2025.
He was a former member of the CIA-backed Afghan “Partner Force” unit that fought the Taliban.
According to former homeowner Christina Widman, he was living with his wife and five children in Bellingham, Washington state, about 80 miles (about 120 kilometers) north of Seattle.
Editor’s note: DW follows the German press code, which emphasizes the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected perpetrators and victims and obliges us to avoid disclosing full names in such cases.
Edited by: Louis Olofse