One bad apple spoils the whole barrel. Rahmanullah Lakanwal not only sealed his own fate, but that of all Afghans, and others from the 'third world' awaiting judgment on their immigration status. His ambush that killed a National Guard and critically injured another a short distance from the White House, is endless ammunition for anti-immigration hardliners.
Lakanwal's history of working with the CIA in Afghanistan complicates the story, but not enough. He was brought to the US in 2021 on a special visa, as were thousands of Afghans who worked as translators, foot-soldiers and intel gatherers in the US' long war against the Taliban. He was granted asylum earlier this year.
Other Afghans may not be so lucky - not for a long while. Lakanwal's attack is a painful illustration of everything Donald Trump believes is horribly wrong with the country's immigration policy. Combine that with a recent expose of widespread fraud worth almost a billion dollars in Covid benefits by Somali immigrants in Minnesota and 'the ugly immigrant' picture is complete. In 50 shades of Brown and Black.
Trump doesn't have to prove much any more. He campaigned against open borders, 'invasion' by illegal immigrants, rise in crime, abuse of benefits meant for the needy, identity politics gone absurdly wrong, and lack of assimilation by some communities. Constant criticism of the US from 'ungrateful' immigrant voices (Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib) didn't help, but elicited variations of 'If things are so bad here, go home'.
This is the prevailing sentiment within MAGA. Few dare express disagreement. Stephen Miller, Trump's chief adviser for homeland security, talks about the 'great lie' of mass migration. 'You are not just importing individuals. You are importing societies. No magic transformation occurs when failed states cross borders. At scale, migrants and their descendants recreate the conditions, and terrors, of their broken homeland.'
Trump has taken the battle several notches up by talking about 'denaturalising' or revoking citizenship of those who got their papers during the Biden administration. But to take that ultimate step, his administration will have to prove in court immigrants intentionally concealed material facts, or misrepresented themselves.
The killing of 20-yr-old Army National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom on the streets of DC was the final straw. Not that a trigger was needed for a harsher crackdown. Trump immediately vowed to 'permanently pause migration from all Third World countries... terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions... and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization'.
He thinks only 'reverse migration' can fix the situation. Brown and Black immigrants have reason to be worried. No one is targeting, say, White South Africans. Tom Homan, Trump's border czar and enforcer-in-chief, complained on camera that it was impossible to do proper vetting of asylum seekers from 'Third World nations' because they don't have systems in place. He wants wholesale deportations. 'I really, truly think that most of them are going to end up being deported because we aren't going to be able to properly vet them.' That means 2.2 mn immigrants awaiting asylum decisions, or court hearings.
One of Trump's campaign promises was to reshape immigration policy and conduct 'the largest domestic deportation operation' in US history. It doesn't get any clearer that the US is locking the gates and throwing away the keys. If Homan is the man on the ground, the 'thinker' is Miller whose extreme views once shocked Trump. Not any more.
Miller has already managed to reorganise refugee and visa policies by asserting control through pliable officers in the State Department, turning the process into what's been called an 'anti-immigration machine'. He has also set a daily quota of arrests for ICE, leading to ugly confrontations and wrongful detentions.
Meanwhile, Miller is pursuing rules to strip people of work permits and legal status. It's called 'de-documenting' perfectly legal workers to reduce legal immigration and access to benefits.
These curbs could lead to worker shortages. According to a National Foundation for American Policy study, Trump's curbs would reduce the workforce by 6.8 mn by 2028 and lower economic growth. But Miller is not thinking of the economic impact - he doesn't have a shortage of funds. A total of $170 bn has already been approved for enforcement.
A whole-of-government approach covering border security, courts, enforcement agencies and visa officers is already in motion. Watch this sovereign space.
Lakanwal's history of working with the CIA in Afghanistan complicates the story, but not enough. He was brought to the US in 2021 on a special visa, as were thousands of Afghans who worked as translators, foot-soldiers and intel gatherers in the US' long war against the Taliban. He was granted asylum earlier this year.
Other Afghans may not be so lucky - not for a long while. Lakanwal's attack is a painful illustration of everything Donald Trump believes is horribly wrong with the country's immigration policy. Combine that with a recent expose of widespread fraud worth almost a billion dollars in Covid benefits by Somali immigrants in Minnesota and 'the ugly immigrant' picture is complete. In 50 shades of Brown and Black.
Trump doesn't have to prove much any more. He campaigned against open borders, 'invasion' by illegal immigrants, rise in crime, abuse of benefits meant for the needy, identity politics gone absurdly wrong, and lack of assimilation by some communities. Constant criticism of the US from 'ungrateful' immigrant voices (Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib) didn't help, but elicited variations of 'If things are so bad here, go home'.
This is the prevailing sentiment within MAGA. Few dare express disagreement. Stephen Miller, Trump's chief adviser for homeland security, talks about the 'great lie' of mass migration. 'You are not just importing individuals. You are importing societies. No magic transformation occurs when failed states cross borders. At scale, migrants and their descendants recreate the conditions, and terrors, of their broken homeland.'
Trump has taken the battle several notches up by talking about 'denaturalising' or revoking citizenship of those who got their papers during the Biden administration. But to take that ultimate step, his administration will have to prove in court immigrants intentionally concealed material facts, or misrepresented themselves.
The killing of 20-yr-old Army National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom on the streets of DC was the final straw. Not that a trigger was needed for a harsher crackdown. Trump immediately vowed to 'permanently pause migration from all Third World countries... terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions... and deport any Foreign National who is a public charge, security risk, or non-compatible with Western Civilization'.
He thinks only 'reverse migration' can fix the situation. Brown and Black immigrants have reason to be worried. No one is targeting, say, White South Africans. Tom Homan, Trump's border czar and enforcer-in-chief, complained on camera that it was impossible to do proper vetting of asylum seekers from 'Third World nations' because they don't have systems in place. He wants wholesale deportations. 'I really, truly think that most of them are going to end up being deported because we aren't going to be able to properly vet them.' That means 2.2 mn immigrants awaiting asylum decisions, or court hearings.
One of Trump's campaign promises was to reshape immigration policy and conduct 'the largest domestic deportation operation' in US history. It doesn't get any clearer that the US is locking the gates and throwing away the keys. If Homan is the man on the ground, the 'thinker' is Miller whose extreme views once shocked Trump. Not any more.
Miller has already managed to reorganise refugee and visa policies by asserting control through pliable officers in the State Department, turning the process into what's been called an 'anti-immigration machine'. He has also set a daily quota of arrests for ICE, leading to ugly confrontations and wrongful detentions.
Meanwhile, Miller is pursuing rules to strip people of work permits and legal status. It's called 'de-documenting' perfectly legal workers to reduce legal immigration and access to benefits.
These curbs could lead to worker shortages. According to a National Foundation for American Policy study, Trump's curbs would reduce the workforce by 6.8 mn by 2028 and lower economic growth. But Miller is not thinking of the economic impact - he doesn't have a shortage of funds. A total of $170 bn has already been approved for enforcement.
A whole-of-government approach covering border security, courts, enforcement agencies and visa officers is already in motion. Watch this sovereign space.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.)
Seema Sirohi
Senior journalist who writes on foreign policy and India's place in the world.