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The Trump administration is taking an even firmer stance on immigration in the wake of a fatal shooting near the White House Wednesday, which took the life of one National Guard member and injured another.
Additionally, the White House signaled it may ramp up its operations targeting alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean, following months of strikes against vessels accused of trafficking drugs into the U.S.
Here’s what happened this week.
Washington shooting
The Trump administration is moving to impose more limitations on migrants attempting to enter the U.S., after an Afghan national was identified as the suspect in Wednesday’s deadly shooting.
Law enforcement officials identified the shooting suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome program, which aimed to facilitate resettling Afghan refugees in the U.S.
The Department of State has paused all U.S. visas for individuals traveling on Afghan passports, the State Department and Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted to X Friday.
VANCE’S PAST WARNINGS REIGNITE AFTER AFGHAN NATIONAL NAMED AS SUSPECT IN DC GUARD SHOOTING
U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died Thursday due to injuries stemming from Wednesday’s shooting. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition as of Friday, per U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.
As a result of the shooting, Trump said in a social media post Thursday that he would permanently pause migration from “all Third World Countries.”
LIBERAL COMMENTATORS BLAME TRUMP FOR NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING
Likewise, the head of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said Thursday that in accordance with orders from Trump, he has “directed a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”
The White House did not provide additional information regarding which countries would be impacted, and referred Fox News Digital to Trump’s social media post.
Venezuela operations
Trump also signaled that his administration would start conducting land operations as it ramps up its operations targeting alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean.
LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONDING AFTER 2 NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS SHOT NEAR WHITE HOUSE
Since September, the Trump administration has conducted more than 20 strikes against alleged drug boats in Latin American waters, and has beefed up its military presence in the Caribbean as part of Trump’s effort to crack down on the influx of drugs into the U.S.
“You probably noticed that now people aren’t wanting to be delivering by sea, and we’ll be starting to stop them by land also,” Trump said Thursday. “The land is easier, but that’s going to start very soon.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital regarding whether the White House was considering land strikes or deploying U.S. troops within Venezuela. However, Trump has previously refused to rule out dispatching U.S. ground troops into Venezuela.
The New York Times reported Friday that Trump spoke with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in the past week.
Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
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