Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced plans for a comprehensive travel ban following a meeting with President Donald Trump, targeting countries she accused of sending dangerous individuals to the United States.
The announcement comes in the aftermath of a deadly shooting at a Washington DC metro station that left one National Guard member dead and another critically injured.
Noem took to social media to reveal her recommendation to the president, though she did not identify specific countries targeted by the proposed ban.
“I just met with the President. I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,” Noem wrote on social media.
She continued her statement with strong language about protecting American interests and heritage.
“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom – not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS. WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE,” Noem declared.
President Trump shared Noem’s post to his Truth Social page, signaling his support for the proposed measures.
The DHS Secretary’s recommendation follows Trump’s decision to halt all immigration from Afghanistan, including refugee status determinations, after the metro station attack occurred Wednesday.
Trump has also announced plans to permanently pause migration from Third World countries and review cases of immigrants from 19 nations covered by his travel ban.
The affected countries include Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Haiti, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, and Venezuela, among others, according to media reports.
The catalyst for these immigration actions was a shooting at Farragut West metro station in central Washington DC that resulted in two National Guard soldiers being shot in what authorities are investigating as a possible terrorist act.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, has been identified as the alleged gunman now in custody.
He faces first degree murder charges after Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member, died from her injuries on Thanksgiving Day.
At the time of this writing, Andrew Woolfe, 24, Beckstrom’s colleague, remains in critical condition fighting for his life after the ambush-style attack.
Law enforcement sources told NBC News the suspected shooter has been identified as an Afghan national.
Sources informed the New York Post that Lakanwal allegedly entered the United States during the August 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan under Operation Allies Welcome, implemented during the Biden administration.
Operation Allies Welcome was designed to resettle vulnerable Afghans, particularly those who had assisted American forces during the war.
Reports indicate Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Washington.
Former President Biden consistently defended the Afghanistan withdrawal despite its chaotic execution, which resulted in 13 American deaths and the collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan government, allowing the Taliban to regain control.
President Trump declared that the suspect “will pay a very steep price” for the attack on American troops.
