Homeland Security Secretary Says US Will ‘Absolutely’ Deport People With Pending Asylum Claims

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was asked about illegal immigration and migration programs in an interview on Nov. 30.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Nov. 30 that the United States will “absolutely” be deporting people with pending asylum claims “if they should be” removed.

During an NBC “Meet the Press” interview on Nov. 30, Noem was asked about illegal immigration and migration programs and whether the Trump administration will deport individuals with pending asylum claims. The question was raised after President Donald Trump said on social media last week that he would suspend migration from “Third World Countries” after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard members in Washington, killing one.

Noem said: “Yes, we are going to go through every single person that has a pending asylum claim, has an asylum claim here in this country. You know, one of the requirements of asylum is that you have to come in every single year for a checkup, an interview process, and a re-vetting.”

More vetting is needed to ensure that asylees living in the United States are not “being radicalized and perpetuating dangerous criminal activity against ... Americans,” Noem said.

Homeland Security officials said the suspected Afghan national who opened fire last week was admitted as a lawful permanent resident in 2022 under the Operation Allies Welcome program.

That Biden administration program had allowed Afghan nationals into the United States after the collapse of that country’s government and as the Taliban took over in 2021. In her Nov. 30 interview, Noem criticized the program.

“That’s the irresponsibility that has completely devastated our country ... [and] put us in such a dangerous position,” she said on Nov. 30.

“[Some Afghan nationals] were dangerous and we went after [them] as soon as they came into this country. But under this program, we could have up to 100,000 people that came in from Afghanistan that may be here to do us harm. And President Trump is absolutely dedicated to getting them out of our country.”

Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in a Nov. 28 post on X that asylum decisions will be paused “until [officials] can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”

Trump also called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who had entered under the Biden administration initiative that brought roughly 76,000 people into the country, many of whom had worked as interpreters and translators.

Last week, Trump confirmed that National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had died from her injuries. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.

They were deployed as part of Trump’s crime-fighting mission that involved the federalization of Washington’s police department. Beckstrom and Wolfe had been on orders in Washington since August, according to the West Virginia National Guard.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, drove from Washington state to launch an “ambush-style” attack with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. On Nov. 28, Pirro also confirmed that Lakanwal, who worked with U.S. government agencies such as the CIA during the war in Afghanistan, will face murder charges over Beckstrom’s death.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.