Kristi Noem Wants A ‘Full Travel Ban’ On Countries ‘Flooding Our Nation With Killers’
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is urging President Donald Trump to implement a sweeping travel ban targeting countries she says are “flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.”
Noem made the recommendation on Monday following a meeting with Trump, where she pushed for a “full travel ban” in response to a recent attack in Washington, D.C. by an Afghan national who allegedly shot two National Guardsmen. The push also comes after Trump’s own move last week to pause asylum claims from 19 nations identified as high-risk.
“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom—not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS,” Noem posted on X. “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”
While Noem did not list specific nations for her proposed ban, her remarks echoed Trump’s latest immigration actions. The president’s Thanksgiving executive order halted asylum processing from nearly 20 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, Venezuela, Haiti, and others labeled as “Countries of Identified Concern.”
The shift follows the case of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan refugee who law enforcement says killed one Guardsman and wounded another last week. Lakanwal entered the U.S. under the Biden administration’s “Operation Allies Welcome,” a program that relocated tens of thousands of Afghans following the botched withdrawal from Kabul.
Despite the fact that Lakanwal’s asylum claim was approved earlier this year under Trump, Noem pointed the finger at Biden-era failures in vetting. When pressed on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” she claimed that “vetting is happening when they come into the country, and that was completely abandoned under Joe Biden’s administration.”
Trump’s executive order pausing asylum from the 19 nations does not have a set expiration. “We have enough problems,” Trump said. “We don’t want those people.”
The White House and DHS have not yet released a finalized list of nations for any expanded travel ban. Noem’s proposal, however, signals a more aggressive posture heading into 2026, as the Trump administration continues to overhaul immigration and national security policy.