He United States government announced that it will accelerate the review of immigration status of all people who entered the country in the last four years, a measure that marks a new turn in US immigration policy. This was confirmed on Wednesday by Stephen Miller, senior advisor to President Donald Trump, when detailing the magnitude of the process.
Miller stated that the number of people subject to review could reach 20 million, although figures such as those from the Pew Research Center estimate 14 million undocumented immigrants in 2023. The official stated that it is the largest immigration review in decadeswith direct effects on multiple communities.
He announcement came shortly after Trump request to reevaluate the cases of Afghans admitted during the Biden administration, after a shooting in Washington, DC, where two members of the National Guard were injured. The suspect, an Afghan national, rekindled the debate on security and migration in the United States.
The White House indicated that it will use nationality of the alleged attacker to justify new immigration actions. In a matter of hours, the Citizenship and Immigration Service suspended all applications from Afghan citizensa decision that intensified tension around the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Increase in immigration control in the United States
Miller’s comments expanded the scope of the measures to include people of diverse backgrounds and protection programs. Migrant organizations expressed concern about the impact of these new immigration reviewsespecially among those who already face difficulties in maintaining their legal status in the country.
Miller argued that immigration during the Biden administration represented “the worst threat to national security,” mentioning citizens of Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and Iraq. He stated that those who do not contribute benefits to the country could be expelled, reinforcing the accelerated deportation policy promoted by the government.
Trump, in a message broadcast by videomaintained that “all necessary measures” must be taken to expel foreigners who do not contribute to the country. He assured that those who “cannot love” the United States should not remain, a position that once again fueled the debate on anti-immigration measures in the United States.
The suspect in the attack Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was injured and arrested. The two members of the National Guard remained in critical condition. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Lakanwal entered in 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome, that allowed the entry of 76,000 Afghans after the American military withdrawal.
According to NBC News, Lakanwal served for ten years with US forces in Afghanistan and was granted asylum earlier this year under the Trump administration. His case has generated mixed responses among officials and legislators, deepening the discussion about the future of Afghan refugees in the United States.
The Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noemlinked the case to the 2021 admissions program, while the Senator Chuck Schumer He regretted the attack without relating it to immigration failures. For its part, organizations like AfghanEvac They asked to avoid generalizations and recalled that Afghans go through one of the strictest security controls in the country.
The Investigations continue as National Guard troops They remain deployed in Washington, even after a court ruling that questioned the legality of the operation. The government’s appeal maintains an active deployment that reflects the growing climate of security and immigration control that dominates the federal agenda.