Dec. 2 (UPI) — Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday called for a new travel ban “on every damn country that’s flooding our nation with killers, leeches and entitlement junkies.”
It was not clear which exact countries she was recommending the travel ban be enforced for. She made the announcement in a statement on social media, stating she had met with President Donald Trump and had issued the recommendation.
“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 said.
“WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”
Noem issued the statement amid the Trump administration’s ongoing crackdown on immigration and following a Wednesday shooting in Washington, D.C., that killed a National Guard member and critically wounded another.
After the shooting, Trump issued a similarly vague call to pause migration from all “third-world countries,” a Cold War-era term that is largely considered outdated to refer to low- and middle-income countries.
The alleged shooter has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who U.S. officials say worked with the CIA to track down high-value Taliban targets.
Lakanwal came to the United States during the final stages of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Trump administration has blamed the previous Biden administration for permitting him entrance to the country. However, Lakanwal reportedly applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted asylum by the Trump administration in April.
On Thursday, a day after the shooting, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow said that at Trump’s direction, a full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card holder from “every country of concern” would be launched.
The 19 countries affected are listed in a June presidential proclamation that restricts entry to foreign nationals, citing national security and public safety threats. Of those countries, 12 are fully barred from entry under the proclamation while seven are partially restricted.
USCIS has also paused all asylum decisions until “we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible,” Edlow said.