DHS secretary seeks total travel ban on ‘failed states’

Washington (Somalia Today) — US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has recommended a “full travel ban” on nations she accuses of sending “killers and leeches” to the United States, signaling a drastic expansion of the immigration crackdown launched after the fatal shooting of a National Guard member in Washington.

Confirming the plan on Monday after a meeting with President Donald Trump, Noem said she intends to block specific countries to prevent what she described as “foreign invaders” from entering the US.

“I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that’s been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies,” Noem wrote in a statement posted on social media.

While the administration freezes asylum processing, the White House has simultaneously launched a targeted campaign against the Somali diaspora, specifically singling out the community in Minnesota for mass deportation.

Somalis in the crosshairs

Although the crackdown was initially triggered by an attack involving an Afghan national, President Trump has directed some of his sharpest rhetoric toward Somali-Americans.

In a Thanksgiving Day call with troops, Trump acknowledged there was “nothing” linking Somalis to the Washington shooting. However, he insisted that “Somalians have caused a lot of trouble” and are “ripping us off.”

The rhetoric escalated sharply on November 21, when Trump first took to Truth Social to claim that “Somali gangs are terrorizing” Minnesota.

Alleging, without evidence, that “BILLIONS of Dollars are missing” due to fraud, the President declared that he was terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis “effective immediately.”

“Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!” Trump wrote.

The administration has also politicized the issue in Minnesota, attacking Democratic Governor Tim Walz for allegedly turning the state into a “hub of fraudulent money laundering.”

Trump further renewed his verbal assaults on Somali-born Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, mocking her appearance and questioning her allegiance.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has since acted on these threats, issuing a warning that advises Somalis without permanent status to “self-deport now” before facing detention.

‘Third world’ targets

Noem’s proposed “full ban” builds on a restrictive framework established earlier this year.

On June 4, the White House issued a proclamation identifying 19 countries—including Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, and Haiti—that would face full or partial immigration restrictions due to “insufficient security protocols.”

While nationals from these countries already face severe scrutiny under the June directive, Noem’s new recommendation seeks to “widen” these measures into a hermetic seal against migration from “failed states.”

The administrative escalation follows a brazen attack last Wednesday, November 26, in Washington, D.C., where a gunman opened fire on two National Guard members near the White House.

Officials have confirmed that Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, of the West Virginia National Guard, died of her injuries on Thanksgiving Day, while Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.

Police arrested Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national, at the scene.

Lakanwal entered the US in 2021 under “Operation Allies Welcome,” a programme designed for Afghans who supported the US mission.

However, intelligence sources cited by CBS News indicate Lakanwal was a former member of the CIA-backed “Zero Units,” paramilitary squads trained by US forces to conduct high-risk raids against the Taliban.

Asylum system frozen

The fallout has triggered an immediate operational freeze across the US immigration system.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow announced that the agency would halt all asylum decisions “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”

Edlow also confirmed he has received orders to review green cards issued to individuals from the 19 listed nations.

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), warned that the community is bracing for impact, calling the administration’s moves “not just a bureaucratic change” but a “political attack” designed to tear families apart.

The Afghan Community Coalition of the US urged the administration not to collectively punish refugees. “We must not forget twenty years of Afghan-US partnership,” the group said in a statement.