President Donald Trump and his senior officials have significantly ramped up their use of hostile and dehumanising language towards immigrants in the United States, following a shooting incident in Washington DC last week. The shift in rhetoric comes after an Afghan man was named as a suspect in the attack which wounded two National Guard troops.
A Cascade of Derogatory Remarks
In the days after the shooting, which occurred on 4 December 2025, the US president made a series of sweeping statements. He claimed there were "a lot of problems with Afghans" and launched into a tirade against Somali immigrants, whom he described as "garbage" and said their country of origin "stinks". Critics were quick to label these comments as alarming, vile, and a dangerous form of dehumanisation.
The suspect in the shooting was reported to have entered the US in 2021 through an evacuation programme for Afghans established during the Biden administration. He was later granted asylum under Trump's own previous term. Just hours after the attack, Trump declared, "We must now re-examine every single alien from Afghanistan who has entered our country under Biden."
This sentiment was echoed by allies. Vice President JD Vance stated the administration would first bring the shooter to justice and then "redouble our efforts to deport people with no right to be in our country". Other Republican lawmakers went further. Senator Tommy Tuberville called for an immediate ban on "all ISLAM immigrants", while Congressman Chip Roy urged the White House to "stop importing Islamists".
Policy Actions Follow the Rhetoric
The intensified language has been matched by concrete policy moves. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced an immediate and indefinite suspension of all immigration requests from Afghan nationals, pending a security review.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, Trump vowed to strip US citizenship from naturalised immigrants deemed to undermine "domestic tranquility", pause migration from "all third-world countries", and deport any foreign national considered "non-compatible with Western Civilization". When questioned by a reporter if he was blaming all Afghans for one individual's actions, Trump replied, "No, but we've had a lot of problems with Afghans", adding, "Many of these people are criminals."
He then turned his focus to the Somali community, particularly in Minnesota, which hosts the largest Somali population in the US. "If you look at Somalia, they're taking over Minnesota," Trump said. He singled out Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, a Somali-American refugee, accusing her without evidence of having "probably" entered illegally and mocking her hijab.
In a subsequent cabinet meeting, Trump described Somali immigrants as "garbage" who "contribute nothing". White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt celebrated the remarks as an "epic moment".
Community Fear and Political Backlash
The administration's stance has triggered widespread fear and condemnation. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem endorsed "a full travel ban" on countries "flooding our nation with killers, leeches and entitlement junkies". Meanwhile, officials indicated there would be an increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in Minnesota.
In response, Democratic lawmakers and immigration advocates have accused the Trump administration of exploiting a tragedy to advance an anti-immigrant agenda. Ilhan Omar called Trump's comments "vile", while faith-based refugee resettlement group Church World Service denounced a "campaign of collective punishment".
Susan Benesch, executive director of the Dangerous Speech Project, noted that while such language is not new for Trump, the "virtual silence" from other Republicans was striking. She warned that dehumanising rhetoric, when coupled with policy actions, reinforces prejudice and can inspire violence.
On the ground in Minnesota, community organiser Dieu Do reported a spike in panic among Somali residents and increased ICE operations. Shawn VanDiver of #AfghanEvac said many Afghan refugees now feel "terrified" and "attacked", afraid to leave their homes.
Immigration lawyers have also pushed back. Jeff Joseph of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) stated that claims of improper vetting of Afghan refugees "ignores the reality", noting they undergo rigorous checks by the US military and Department of Justice. Ben Johnson, AILA's executive director, warned: "Weaponizing this tragedy to advance an anti-immigrant agenda is not only unjust, but also dangerous."
When pressed for comment on the criticisms, a White House spokesperson doubled down, referring to the Afghan suspect as an "animal" and asserting Trump was "absolutely right to highlight the problems caused by the radical Somali migrants".
