Kristi Noem, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, said on social media Monday that she is recommending President Trump put a complete travel ban on “every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.”
It’s not clear yet which countries would be included or how wide the ban would be. The final decision rests with President Trump. Later on Monday night, Trump reposted Noem’s statement on his own social media account but did not add any remark.
DHS secy calls for full travel 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 X. Describing immigrants as “foreign invaders” and blaming them for harming Americans. She added, “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,” she continued. “We don’t want them, not one.”
Noem’s statement comes days after a gunman shot two National Guard members near the White House. The suspect was identified as an Afghan national. One guard member died, and the other is in critical condition.
In June, Trump banned nationals from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, from entering the US. In October, the administration lowered the refugee admissions cap to 7,500, the lowest ever.
Recent crackdown on immigration
The incident has pushed the Trump administration to speed up its immigration actions. Following the attack, Trump ordered a halt to the asylum process for all migrants in the US. The government has also begun reviewing green cards for people from 19 countries, mostly in the Middle East and Africa, and has even barred Afghan nationals from entering the country. Trump has also threatened to impose a ban on travellers from all third-world countries.
On Thanksgiving Day, Trump had said he wanted to “permanently pause migration from all third-world countries.” He also mentioned “reverse migration.” The reversal suggests that some naturalised American citizens could lose their citizenship and that immigrants “non-compatible with Western Civilisation” should be deported.