United News of Bangladesh

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he does not want Somali immigrants in the United States, claiming they depend too much on public assistance and do not contribute to the country. His remarks, directed at an entire immigrant community, are the latest in a series of attacks on the Somali diaspora. Somalis have settled in states such as Minnesota for decades, many arriving as refugees. Trump did not differentiate between U.S. citizens and non-citizens. The comments came days after the administration halted all asylum decisions following the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington. The suspect in that case is from Afghanistan, but Trump linked the incident to immigrants from other countries, including Somalia. “They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country,” Trump told reporters at the end of a Cabinet meeting. He added that Somalis should “go back to where they came from” and fix their own country. Trump has repeatedly targeted Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat who arrived from Somalia as a child. Last week, he intensified his criticism after a conservative activist, in an article based on unnamed sources, alleged that money stolen from Minnesota programs had gone to al-Shabab, the militant group operating in Somalia. The allegation has not been substantiated. In a social media post last week, Trump vowed to send Somalis “back to where they came from,” calling Minnesota “a hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.” On Tuesday, he said Somalis in the U.S. should return to “fix” Somalia. Trump also pledged to end temporary legal protections for Somalis living in Minnesota, though experts questioned whether the White House has the authority to enforce the plan as described. According to a report for Congress in August, only 705 Somalis nationwide are covered by Temporary Protected Status. State officials and immigration advocates criticized Trump’s comments, calling them divisive and legally questionable. Many said the remarks unfairly targeted Minnesota’s Somali community, which is one of the largest in the country. Trump again attacked Rep. Omar, calling her and her supporters “garbage.” Omar responded on social media, saying Trump’s “obsession” with her was “creepy” and that she hoped he would receive the help he needs. Trump also claimed Somali immigrants “do nothing but complain” and are not interested in contributing to the United States. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey rejected Trump’s comments. He said Somali immigrants have strengthened the city by opening businesses, creating jobs, and enriching its cultural identity. “To villainize an entire group is wrong under any circumstances,” Frey said. “The consistency with which Donald Trump does this raises serious questions about constitutional values and violates the moral principles we stand by as Americans.”  

The Trump administration has temporarily halted immigration applications, including green card requests, for individuals from 19 countries previously targeted by travel restrictions. The move follows recent policy changes prompted by the shooting of two National Guard troops. According to a policy memo posted Tuesday by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the pause affects decisions such as green card approvals and naturalizations for people from countries deemed high-risk. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow will determine when the suspension ends. Migrants brace for uncertainty under Trump’s new immigration restrictions Earlier this year, the administration banned travel from 12 countries and restricted access for seven more, citing security concerns. While earlier restrictions did not affect immigrants already in the U.S., the new directive subjects them to additional review, including potential interviews and referrals to law enforcement. USCIS plans to prioritize cases for review within 90 days, reflecting heightened scrutiny following the Thanksgiving week attack near the White House by an Afghan national. Critics argue the policy penalizes immigrants collectively. Source: AP 

A top US Navy admiral ordered a second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat on September 2, the White House confirmed on Monday. The “double tap” strike has drawn attention from lawmakers and raised questions about its legality. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth authorised the strikes but did not order the killing of everyone on the boat. “Admiral Bradley acted well within his authority and the law,” she said. Reports said two people survived the first blast and were still clinging to the burning vessel when the second strike killed them. Leavitt did not confirm these details. The Trump administration says its operations target narco-terrorist groups and aim to stop drug trafficking to the United States. Since early September, more than 80 people have been killed in similar strikes in the Caribbean Sea. US officials usually release grainy videos with limited evidence of drug activity or details about those on board. US military operations in the Caribbean have expanded recently. Trump warned that anti-drug efforts “by land” in Venezuela would begin soon. Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concern about the September 2 strike and plan congressional reviews. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker said the committee will interview the admiral in charge and collect audio and video to understand the orders. The House Armed Services Committee said it will lead a bipartisan investigation into the operation. Experts have raised doubts over the legality of the second strike under international law. Survivors may have been protected as shipwrecked people or incapacitated fighters. Geneva Conventions prohibit targeting those unable to fight and require their capture and care. Venezuela condemned the strikes. Its National Assembly said it would investigate the September 2 attack. Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab called for direct dialogue with the US to ease tensions, blaming Trump’s allegations on envy of Venezuela’s natural resources. Trump confirmed he spoke briefly with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, pressing him to resign and leave the country with his family. Maduro refused and requested amnesty for top aides and control of the military, both denied by Trump. US officials have accused Maduro of being part of the “Cartel of the Suns,” a group allegedly including high-ranking military and security officials involved in drug trafficking. Maduro denies the claims.   With inputs from BBC

Following last week’s shooting of two National Guard members in Washington by a suspect who is an Afghan national, the Trump administration has announced a series of measures aimed at tightening entry and residency rules for certain foreigners. The administration said it is pausing asylum decisions, reviewing green card applications from people from “countries of concern,” and halting visas for Afghans who assisted the U.S. war effort. A memo obtained by The Associated Press revealed that, even before the shooting, the administration planned to review the cases of all refugees admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration. Refugee advocates and Afghan support groups have criticized the moves as collective punishment and a waste of resources, arguing that reopening processed cases is unnecessary. The Trump administration maintains that the policies are needed to ensure individuals entering or already in the country do not pose security threats. All asylum decisions suspended Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said on the social platform X last week that asylum decisions will be paused “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.” Aside from this post, no formal guidance has been issued, leaving details about the pause unclear. Asylum seekers must demonstrate that they would face persecution if returned to their home countries due to race, nationality, or other grounds. Successful applicants are allowed to stay in the U.S. and can eventually apply for green cards and citizenship. The Afghan suspect in the National Guard shooting was granted asylum earlier this year, according to advocacy group #AfghanEvac. Trump had already restricted asylum applications. In January, he issued an executive order effectively halting asylum for people entering through the southern border, whose cases are processed through immigration courts overseen by the Justice Department. Edlow’s post indicates that USCIS asylum cases, not previously affected by Trump’s order, will now receive additional scrutiny. He did not specify how long the pause will last or what will happen to applicants during it. Caseloads are rising: USCIS currently has 1.4 million pending asylum cases, compared with 241,280 in 2022, according to the Office of Homeland Security Statistics. Separately, around 2.4 million asylum applications are pending in the Justice Department’s immigration courts. Focus on countries ‘of concern’ On Nov. 27, Edlow announced a “full scale, rigorous reexamination” of every green card for people from “every country of concern.” “American safety is non negotiable,” Edlow said. The agency’s press release said new guidance could make it harder for people from 19 “high-risk” countries, including Afghanistan, to apply for immigration benefits, such as green cards or extended stays. The administration had previously banned travel for citizens from 12 of these countries and restricted access for seven others. No visas for Afghans USCIS announced on Nov. 26 that it would suspend all “immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals,” affecting those in the U.S. seeking green cards, work permits, or family reunification. Separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the State Department has temporarily stopped issuing visas for Afghan passport holders. Previously, the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program allowed Afghans who assisted U.S. efforts and faced retribution to emigrate. The State Department’s new policy effectively closes this pathway. According to #AfghanEvac, about 180,000 Afghans were in the process of applying for SIVs. Review of refugees admitted under Biden administration Even before the shooting, the Trump administration planned to review tens of thousands of refugees admitted under the Biden administration through the U.S. Refugee Assistance Program, which helps people fleeing persecution. Unlike asylum seekers, refugees apply from abroad. Edlow’s memo obtained by AP on Nov. 21 stated that all refugees admitted during the Biden administration, nearly 200,000 people, would be reviewed. Advocates note that refugees already undergo rigorous vetting. Noem hints at updated travel ban Late Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggested more changes could come. She said on X that after meeting Trump, she was recommending a “full travel ban” on countries she said were flooding the U.S. “with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.” Noem did not name specific countries or provide a timeline. The Department of Homeland Security said in an email, “We will be announcing the list soon.”

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is willing to release the results of an MRI he took in October, although he said he does not know what part of his body was scanned. Speaking to reporters while returning to Washington from Florida, Trump said the MRI results were “perfect” and that he would make them public if people wanted to see them. The White House has not explained why Trump underwent the MRI during his physical last month or what area was examined. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously said the president received advanced imaging at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as part of a routine checkup and that the results showed he remains in exceptional health. Trump said Sunday he had “no idea” which part of his body the MRI covered. He added that it was not a brain scan, saying he recently took a cognitive test and “aced it.”  

US President Donald Trump on Saturday declared that the airspace “above and surrounding” Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety,” sparking sharp criticism from the Venezuelan government. Caracas denounced the statement as a “colonial threat” aimed at undermining the country’s sovereignty. Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform, addressing it to “Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers” rather than directly to President Nicolás Maduro. It remains unclear whether the statement represents a formal U.S. policy or is part of Trump’s ongoing campaign rhetoric against Maduro. Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry said the declaration constitutes a “hostile, unilateral and arbitrary act,” threatening the nation’s territorial integrity and aeronautical security. The statement also cited U.S. immigration authorities’ suspension of biweekly deportation flights of Venezuelan migrants—a program that had returned over 13,000 people to Venezuela this year. International airlines have recently canceled flights to Venezuela following Federal Aviation Administration warnings about the heightened military activity in the region. While the FAA’s authority is primarily domestic, it regularly issues global advisories to protect pilots from conflict zones. Trump’s administration has previously increased pressure on Maduro, whom the U.S. does not recognize as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. U.S. forces have conducted bomber flights near Venezuelan waters, and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is currently stationed in the region, marking the largest U.S. military buildup there in decades. Concerns over the use of force have prompted bipartisan calls for oversight. Senate Armed Services Committee leaders, Republican Roger Wicker and Democrat Jack Reed, said they will investigate U.S. military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, particularly following reports of verbal orders to kill all crew members in a September attack on suspected drug smugglers. Trump has reportedly explored both military and diplomatic channels, including a conversation with Maduro, though details of the discussion remain undisclosed.

President Donald Trump on Friday said he intends to pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in the United States in 2024 on drug trafficking and weapons charges and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Trump announced the decision on social media, saying that “according to many people that I greatly respect,” Hernández had been “treated very harshly and unfairly.” Hernández, who served two terms leading the Central American nation of about 10 million people, was convicted in a U.S. court of conspiring to import cocaine into the country. He has been appealing his conviction while serving time at the U.S. Penitentiary, Hazelton, in West Virginia. Following Trump’s announcement, Hernández’s wife and children gathered outside their home in Tegucigalpa, kneeling in prayer and thanking God for his expected return. It was the same residence where he was taken into custody by Honduran authorities in 2022 before being extradited to the United States. His wife, Ana García, said the family had managed to speak with Hernández after the announcement. “He still didn’t know of this news and believe me, when we shared it his voice broke with emotion,” she said. She thanked Trump for what she called the correction of an injustice, claiming that Hernández had been targeted by drug traffickers and the “radical left.” Hernández’s lawyer Renato C. Stabile also praised the decision, saying “a great injustice has been righted.” Another attorney, Sabrina Shroff, declined to comment. Trump included the pardon announcement in a broader endorsement of Nasry “Tito” Asfura, the conservative National Party candidate in Sunday’s Honduran presidential election. Trump said the United States would be supportive if Asfura wins, but warned that “the United States will not be throwing good money after bad” if he loses. Asfura, a former mayor of Tegucigalpa, has campaigned on improving infrastructure while rejecting past accusations of embezzlement. His main rivals are Rixi Moncada of the ruling Libre party and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party. Trump described the election as a test for Honduras’ democratic future and warned the country could follow Venezuela’s trajectory if Asfura is defeated. He has kept pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, ordering strikes on suspected drug-carrying vessels and deploying U.S. warships to the Caribbean. Trump has said he has not ruled out military or CIA action against Venezuela, though he has also suggested he is open to talks with Maduro. Outgoing Honduran president Xiomara Castro has maintained a pragmatic approach toward Washington, engaging with senior U.S. officials and backing away from threats to end Honduras’ extradition treaty and military cooperation. Her government has also facilitated the return of deported migrants, including Venezuelans. Argentine president Javier Milei, an ally of Trump, also voiced support for Asfura on Friday, calling him the candidate best positioned to oppose “leftist tyrants who have destroyed Honduras.”  

United States President Donald Trump has intensified his immigration crackdown, declaring a “permanent pause” on migration from what he called “all Third World Countries” following a deadly shooting involving two National Guard members in Washington, DC. The announcement came after an Afghan national was identified as the prime suspect in Wednesday’s attack, which left one Guard member dead and another injured. “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover, terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions,” Trump posted on Truth Social. He did not define which countries fall under “third world”, a phrase often used to describe economically disadvantaged nations in the Global South. Trump also said “anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country”, will be removed. He pledged to end all federal benefits and subsidies for “noncitizens”, “denaturalise migrants who undermine domestic tranquillity”, and deport anyone deemed a public charge, security risk, or “non-compatible with Western civilisation”. Trump links shooting to broader immigration overhaul After the arrest of Rahmanaullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, Trump called the shooting “an act of terror”. He told reporters: “We must now re-examine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden.” On Thursday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) suspended “all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals” indefinitely. Its Director, Joseph Edlow, said on X that he had ordered “a full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every green card for every alien from every country of concern”, following instructions from the president. Edlow said the move was necessary because “the American people will not bear the cost of the prior administration’s reckless resettlement policies”. The review will apply to citizens of nations included in Trump’s June travel ban list, which imposed full bans on Afghanistan, Chad, DRC, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, and partial restrictions on Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. What does a ‘permanent pause’ mean? Experts say Trump’s new declaration lacks a legal definition. “In ordinary English, ‘permanent pause’ sounds final, but under immigration law, the term has no defined meaning,” said Indian Supreme Court advocate Abhishek Saxena. He said the term typically reflects an open-ended restriction that can still be challenged in court if it violates US laws. Migration analysts say the vague language is deliberate. Roberto Forin of the Mixed Migration Centre said the lack of clarity allows the administration to “indiscriminately intimidate migrant communities” while keeping flexibility for foreign policy bargaining. He warned the measure will likely hit poorer countries hardest while sparing states with strategic value to the US. “The objective of such announcements is to signal toughness, shift the narrative, instil fear and dehumanise migrants,” he said. Impact on people already in the US The consequences for migrants from affected countries remain unclear until the administration specifies which nations fall under the “pause”. A recent American Immigration Council report said the existing travel ban already prevents people in the US from visiting family abroad because their renewed visa applications may be denied. Saxena said restrictive policies will likely create delays, tougher background checks and extended processing times for nationals of affected countries. While existing residency cannot be revoked arbitrarily, past filings could come under audit. He added that the pause will likely halt the entry of spouses, children and parents waiting abroad, prolonging family separation and disrupting reunification programmes. With inputs from Al Jazeera          

President Donald Trump said Thursday that one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot near the White House by an Afghan national has died, describing the suspect as a “savage monster.” Trump told U.S. troops during a Thanksgiving call that Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, had succumbed to her injuries, while Staff Sgt Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained in critical condition. “She’s just passed away. She’s no longer with us,” Trump said, calling Beckstrom an “incredible person” and noting that he had spoken with her parents. The president labeled the incident a “terrorist attack” and blamed the previous administration for allowing Afghans who worked with U.S. forces during the Afghanistan war to resettle in the United States. He held up a photo of Afghan evacuees from the 2021 Kabul airlift and suggested the shooter had suffered mental trauma after the war. Authorities identified the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a former member of a CIA-backed Afghan Army unit. He arrived in the U.S. in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome and later applied for asylum, which was approved under Trump’s tenure, according to the advocacy group #AfghanEvac. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Lakanwal used a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver in what she described as an “ambush-style” attack. He initially faced charges of assault with intent to kill and weapons violations, which are expected to be upgraded following Beckstrom’s death. The suspect was also wounded but was not believed to be in life-threatening condition. The rare attack on National Guard members on American soil has sparked renewed debate over the administration’s deployment of troops in U.S. cities. Nearly 2,200 Guard members are currently stationed in Washington, where they have been patrolling streets, transit hubs and checkpoints. After the shooting, officials ordered an additional 500 troops to the capital. Details emerging from Afghanistan show Lakanwal previously served in the CIA-supported Zero Units, which played a frontline role in the war and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal. Sources said he had been a team leader and GPS specialist and had worked in the conflict-heavy province of Kandahar. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Lakanwal’s connection with the U.S. government ended shortly after the 2021 evacuation. Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and five children, according to his former landlord. Following the shooting, Trump called for a review of all Afghan refugees admitted under the previous administration. The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, said the agency would impose additional screening measures for people from 19 “high-risk” countries, though he did not specify which ones.  

US President Donald Trump has said he will “permanently pause migration” to the United States from all “third world countries.” In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed the move would “allow the US system to fully recover” from what he described as immigration policies that had undermined the “gains and living conditions” of many Americans. He did not provide further details of the plan or specify which countries would be affected. The president also blamed refugees for contributing to “social dysfunction in America” and vowed to remove “anyone who is not a net asset” to the country, reports BBC. His comments follow the arrest of an Afghan national accused of shooting two members of the National Guard in Washington, DC, one of whom later died. Trump has said the incident highlights a major national security threat and pledged to expel “any foreigner from any country who does not belong here.” On Wednesday, the US suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans, citing a review of “security and vetting protocols.” A day later, US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it would re-examine green cards issued to individuals who immigrated from 19 countries.