(MENAFN) President Donald Trump announced plans Sunday to suspend asylum admissions indefinitely following a fatal shooting incident near the White House involving an Afghan national.

Speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One during his return flight from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida to Washington, DC, the president declared his intent to impose an extended moratorium on refugee resettlement.

"I think a long time," Trump stated when questioned about the duration of the proposed halt.

When reporters sought clarification on specific timing, the president responded bluntly: "We have enough problems. We don't want those people."

Asked whether the suspension might extend one to two years, Trump replied: "No time limit, but it could be a long time."

The president framed the measure as targeting individuals from nations he characterized as hostile and plagued by criminality. "Very crime ridden" and "not friendly to us," Trump said of certain countries, noting some are "out of control themselves."

Trump specifically called out Somalia, claiming such individuals "come into our country and tell us how to run our country"—an apparent reference to Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, who was born in Somalia.

The announcement follows Wednesday's deadly shooting near the executive mansion, in which Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, allegedly opened fire. One National Guard service member was killed and another injured in the attack.

According to reports from US media, Lakanwal arrived in America during the tumultuous 2021 Afghanistan evacuation. He had reportedly maintained employment relationships with several federal agencies, including the CIA.

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