Noem calls for broader U.S. travel ban after fatal DC attack

Noem said she discussed the proposal with Donald Trump and publicly recommended a wide-ranging ban on travelers from additional countries. U.S. authorities have not yet specified which nations would be covered or how quickly the new measures could be implemented.

The call follows an attack on two National Guard members last week that killed one and seriously injured the other. The suspect, identified as an Afghan national, entered the United States under a resettlement program launched in 2021 after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and was granted asylum earlier this year. After the incident, the State Department stopped issuing visas to Afghan passport holders, according to U.S. officials.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that an updated list of countries subject to the proposed restrictions is forthcoming. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president supports expanding the current travel ban framework.

In June, the Trump administration imposed a full entry ban on visitors from 12 countries, mostly in Africa and the Middle East, with partial restrictions on seven others. Those measures are facing legal challenges from civil rights and immigration groups.

During his first term, Trump introduced a 2017 travel ban that initially applied to several predominantly Muslim countries. After multiple revisions and court challenges, the policy was ultimately upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in a narrow ruling the following year.

Earlier, Qazinform reported that Donald Trump announced plans to suspend migration from what he described as “third-world countries,” saying the move was intended to restore the national immigration system.