President Donald Trump is on solid legal ground in ordering a permanent pause on migration from Third-World countries, said West Virginia Attorney General J.B. McCuskey.
"It's doable. It's within the president's purview," McCuskey told Newsmax's "The Chris Salcedo Show" on Friday.
Trump said on Thursday his administration will "permanently pause" migration from all "Third-World countries" following the death of a National Guard member in an attack near the White House.
The comments mark a further escalation of migration measures Trump has ordered since the shooting on Wednesday that investigators say was carried out by an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 under a resettlement program.
The alleged gunman, identified by officials as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was granted asylum this year under Trump, according to a U.S. government file seen by Reuters.
The Department of Homeland Security said he entered the U.S. in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era program to resettle thousands who assisted U.S. forces during the Afghanistan war and feared reprisals after the Taliban seized control of the country.
McCuskey said Democrats must now explain either why the suspect "was not vetted at all" before entering the U.S., or how someone they would claim had been properly screened could "turn into a murderous monster" within five years.
"Neither one of those things is a good outcome for the Democrats," he said, adding that political rhetoric from the left has helped radicalize individuals who once served alongside U.S. troops overseas.
"We need to have a much better handle on who it is that came to this country, why they're here, and whether or not they should be allowed to stay."
McCuskey also pointed to earlier testimony from then–Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas acknowledging that the U.S. did not fully vet all Afghans airlifted out of Kabul in 2021. He said the chaotic withdrawal and rushed admissions created lasting national-security risks.
"The vetting that was done on those airplanes was who was the biggest and strongest — who could push their way to the front of the line," McCuskey said. "It was pure and total chaos.
"It was handled as poorly as it possibly could have been."
He added that Americans who questioned the screening process were unfairly branded "xenophobic" by Democrats and the media, despite what he said were legitimate concerns that have now "resulted in tragedy."
Asked whether officials could face consequences, McCuskey said the clearest path is through elections.
"The greatest way is at the ballot box," he said. "Political accountability" is essential for leaders who failed in "putting American families and American service members first."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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