Republicans are dramatically ramping up their anti-immigration rhetoric after the shooting of two National Guard members in D.C. by a suspect who is an Afghan national, with some calling to end Muslim immigration entirely and "deport every single Islamist."
Why it matters: The Trump administration is already taking steps in that direction by suspending all immigration applications from Afghan nationals — a move even some Republican moderates aren't fully dismissing.
- "I hope they give extra consideration to the interpreters. I agree everyone should be screened though," Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a frequent public critic of President Trump, told Axios.
- Said Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.): "America's leaders must put politics aside and neutrally examine the risk versus reward of the [Special Immigrant Visas] program."
Driving the news: Two National Guard members were left in critical condition Wednesday after being shot near the White House in what officials have described as a targeted attack.
- The 29-year-old suspect came to the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome after working with the CIA and other U.S. government agencies in Kandahar, Axios' Mike Allen reported.
- Trump said Wednesday the shooting "underscores the single greatest national security threat facing our nation," and that the U.S. "must now reexamine every single alien from Afghanistan who has entered our country under Biden."
- He added that the administration "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."
What they're saying: Some Republicans in Congress want to go much further that just suspending Afghan immigration.
- "We must IMMEDIATELY BAN all ISLAM immigrants and DEPORT every single Islamist who is living among us just waiting to attack," Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said Wednesday in a post on X.
- The sentiment was similar among House members, with Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.) writing: "Deport them all. Now.
- "We know the solution," Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) posted. "Stop importing Islamists. Deport Islamists."
Zoom out: The administration has already taken steps to curtail immigration into the U.S., particularly from Muslim-majority countries, as part of its wide-ranging anti-immigration agenda.
- Trump announced a travel ban in June that included Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
- The administration has also terminated temporary protected status for migrants from more than a half dozen countries including Afghanistan and Syria.
What to watch: Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is pushing for a vote on his bill to require "recurrent and periodic vetting" of Afghan refugees who came to the U.S. in 2021 and 2022 without certain documentation.
- He wrote on X: "We must pass my Afghan Vetting Accountability Act to identify and conduct recurrent vetting of evacuees from Afghanistan found not to be properly vetted before entering the United States, so this NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN!"
