By Lalit K Jha

Washington, November 26: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered a full review of all individuals who entered the United States from Afghanistan under the previous administration, linking the directive to the shooting of two National Guard members near the White House.

The incident has drawn heightened attention among Indian-American communities concerned about public safety in the nation’s capital.

In his nationally televised address, Trump said the attack took place “at point blank range in a monstrous ambush style attack just steps away from the White House,” describing it as “an act of evil and act of hatred and an act of terror” The shooter has been identified as an Afghah national who came to the US during the previous Biden Administration. 

He said the two West Virginia National Guard members, who were deployed as part of a city security mission, were carrying out their duties on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday.

For diaspora viewers, many of whom live in and around Washington, DC, Trump’s announcement of an immigration review was the most consequential policy signal.

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“We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden,” he said. “If they can't love our country, we don't want 'em.” He added that authorities must take “all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country”

Trump said the Department of Homeland Security told him the suspect in custody is “a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan” and was flown in “by the Biden Administration in September, 2021 on those infamous flights.” He said, “Nobody knew who was coming in. Nobody knew anything about it.” and added that the individual’s “status was extended under legislation signed by President Biden”

Indian-American groups across the country—particularly in the DC-Maryland-Virginia region—have closely followed events surrounding the shooting because the incident occurred in a high-security zone near federal agencies and diplomatic missions frequently visited by members of the community.

Trump said the shooting underscored what he called broader vulnerabilities. “This attack underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation,” he said, asserting that “the last administration led in 20 million unknown and unvetted foreigners from all over the world”

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He said the United States “will never bend and never yield in the face of terror,” and vowed swift action. “I am determined to ensure that the animal who perpetrated this atrocity pays the steepest possible price,” he said

Trump announced new deployments to bolster security in Washington, DC—home to one of the most active and visible Indian-American populations in public service, government consulting, and diplomatic work. “I have directed the Department of War to mobilize an additional 500 troops to help protect our capital city,” he said. “We will make America totally safe again and we will bring the perpetrator of this barbaric attacked to swift and certain justice”

The President said the two Guard members had taken a “selfless oath to defend our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic” and were “wearing the uniform of our country patrolling the streets of our capitol” when they were attacked.

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