When asked how long the pause on asylum would last, Trump responded: “For a long time. No time limit. We don’t want those people… many of them are no good.”
Washington, DC (US), December 1, 2025, BNN Web Staff: US President Donald Trump signaled a sweeping and prolonged halt to asylum processing, saying he intends to impose a pause “for a long time” as part of a broader overhaul of immigration policy.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump referenced the Afghan national accused in the recent shooting near the White House and argued that individuals from certain countries “shouldn’t be in our country.”
When asked how long the pause on asylum would last, Trump responded: “For a long time. No time limit. We don’t want those people… many of them are no good.”
He went on to sharply criticize migrants from nations such as Somalia, claiming those countries lack functioning governance and are plagued by violence.
“Countries like Somalia have virtually no government, no military, no police… then they come here and tell us how to run our country. We don’t want them,” Trump said.
Although he did not specify which nations might be affected, Trump hinted that the list could exceed 19 countries. He described them as “crime-ridden” and argued that the US does not need immigrants from places that “don’t register from a standpoint of success.”
Trump also commented on the attack involving two National Guard members, saying that soldier Andrew Wolfe is “fighting for his life.” He added that he plans to honour both service members at the White House.
The President continued to criticize the previous Biden administration, accusing it of allowing “unchecked and unvetted” migrants to enter the US. On Truth Social, he blamed Joe Biden, former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and former Vice President Kamala Harris for what he called a failure in border management.
The Department of Homeland Security echoed that criticism, calling the prior administration’s immigration approach an “act of national self-sabotage.” DHS officials also linked the Biden-era “Operation Allies Welcome” program — under which shooting suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal entered the US in 2021 — to current security concerns.
Kristi Noem, serving as a DHS official, directly attributed responsibility for the death of National Guard member Spec. Sarah Beckstrom to Biden-era immigration decisions. Lakanwal, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder following Beckstrom’s death. Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
The administration’s comments mark its latest and most forceful signal yet that it intends to sharply restrict asylum and tighten immigration controls.
