Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she is “recommending a full travel ban” for countries that have “been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,” in her immigration missive on the heels of the president directing a reexamination of green cards issued to 19 countries.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration’s latest immigration stance arrives in the wake of a deadly attack near the White House involving an Afghan immigrant.
Noem’s recommendation of a “full travel ban” comes amid intense debates about national security, border policy and refugee admissions. The recent shooting of two National Guard members in D.C. has heightened scrutiny around immigration vetting processes and escalated political divides over the treatment of people from certain countries.
What To Know
In a post to X on Monday, Noem said, “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. 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.”
When reached for comment about the post and potentially affected countries, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Newsweek via email on Monday night that the department “will be announcing the list soon.”
It was immediately unclear to Newsweek at the time of publication what Noem meant by a “full travel ban” or how it would be executed.
Noem’s statement followed President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping restrictions on migration from what he labeled “Third World Countries,” in response to the fatal shooting of National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom and critical wounding of Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe in Washington, D.C, on November 26.
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the U.S. in 2021 through a humanitarian resettlement program designed for Afghans who had worked with U.S. forces, and was granted asylum this year by the Trump administration.
Trump said on Truth Social last week, in part: “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions, including those signed by Sleepy Joe Biden’s Autopen, and remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States.”
The DHS and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) subsequently halted all Afghan immigration processing and began a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of green card holders from 19 countries. The list includes Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
What People Are Saying
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, on X last week: “At the direction of @POTUS, I have directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern. The protection of this country and of the American people remains paramount, and the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies. American safety is non negotiable.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, on X Monday in reaction to Noem: “Well, this is pretty much exhibit number one re: unconstitutional animus in any lawsuit against an impending travel ban.”
What Happens Next
The White House and DHS have not specified the full operational details of the travel ban or how the reviews for asylum and refugee cases will proceed. Legal challenges from advocacy groups and immigrants’ rights organizations are likely.