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President Donald Trump said Sunday that his administration's suspension of asylum processing following the deadly National Guard shooting earlier this week could last “a long time” and raised the possibility of revoking the citizenship of some naturalized immigrants with criminal records.
While the administration has framed the asylum freeze as an emergency response to Wednesday's shooting, the president's comments to reporters aboard Air Force One suggest the restrictions could evolve into a longer-term approach.
President Trump linked the pause to a tougher stance toward 19 countries he called “crime-ridden” and promised he would “absolutely” denaturalize immigrants convicted of crimes, if it is within his presidential authority.
“We have enough problems. We don't want those people,” Trump said, adding that there was no time limit on the moratorium.
TRUMP HIGHLIGHTS FEDERAL LAW GIVING PRESIDENTIAL POWER TO STOP IMMIGRATION AS RECREATION ESCALATES
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters as he flies on Air Force One from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, to Joint Base Andrews, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“We have criminals who came to our country and were naturalized,” Trump said, vowing that “if I had the power to do it, I'm not sure I would, but if I did, I would denaturalize them. Absolutely.”
Trump clarified his recent use of the term “reverse immigration,” saying it means expelling people already inside the US.
“Get the people out of our country, get them out of here,” Trump said.
LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONDS AFTER 2 NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS SHOT NEAR WHITE HOUSE
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, is accused of shooting two members of the West Virginia National Guard just blocks from the White House on Wednesday.
National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. Beckstrom died Thursday at the hospital. (U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
US Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died, while her colleague, U.S. Air Force Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. Both Guard members had been sent to D.C. as part of Trump's crime-fighting mission that federalized D.C. police. Trump said he invited family members of both Guard members to the White House.
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“I said, 'Whenever you're ready, because that's a hard thing, come to the White House. We're going to honor Sarah,'” Trump told reporters. “And the same with Andrew, whether he recovers or not.”
Two National Guard soldiers were shot Wednesday just blocks from the White House in Washington, DC. Alleged gunman Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged with first-degree murder. (AP Photo/Anthony Peltier; provided by the Department of Justice)
Lakanwal faces one count of first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed in the shooting, charges that led the Trump administration to suspend all asylum decisions and suspend the issuance of visas for people traveling on Afghan passports.
