Pete King to Newsmax: Trump Right To Halt Asylum After Guard Shootings

President Donald Trump's decision to halt all asylum into the U.S. is a necessary step to regain control of the system, former New York GOP Rep. Pete King told Newsmax on Sunday, warning that years of poor vetting and chaotic withdrawals abroad have left the country vulnerable.

"It doesn't solve it, but it's a step in the right direction," King said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Weekend," adding that the administration must still differentiate between legitimate allies and those who entered the country without proper screening.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Friday halted all asylum decisions after a top immigration official said the government must "ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible."

The freeze came after a shooting near the White House that killed West Virginia National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded fellow guardsman Andrew Wolfe, immediately intensifying scrutiny of federal vetting and resettlement procedures.

Authorities identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan who entered the country in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, the emergency evacuation program for Afghans who aided U.S. forces.

The attack has revived questions about whether gaps in that process let security risks slip through.

"We can't cut off all asylum forever," said King. "I mean, there are many people in Afghanistan who did work closely with us. Their lives would be in peril if they were forced to go back or stay in Afghanistan."

King said the collapse in Afghanistan, and the way refugees arrived afterward, created significant challenges.

"All those cases have to be gone back over one by one to make sure we know who's here and who's not here, who's dangerous and who's not," he said.

While he cautioned that America cannot permanently abandon allies, King said the administration is now "definitely going in the right direction."

The discussion shifted to a series of anti-ICE ads airing during Thanksgiving week, including one commercial urging federal immigration officers to "walk away" from their duties.

King called the messaging "terrible" and "absolutely detestable," warning that it encourages actions that place law enforcement officers at risk.

"Even if you disagree with the policy, you don't do anything that's going to put the lives of law enforcement people at risk," he said, adding that using children in such messaging is "absolutely indefensible."

Former Georgia GOP Rep. Jack Kingston, meanwhile,linked the ads to broader efforts to undermine border enforcement, arguing that voters have already rejected weak immigration policies.

He also reacted to Sen. Mark Kelly's recent comments on Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and the senator's ongoing military investigation, and dismissed the Arizona Democrat's appearance on late-night TV as political theater.

"If he really doesn't want to back down and be this big, tough guy he claims to be, show the evidence, put the case out there against the president of the United States," Kingston said. "Otherwise, shut up, because we know what you're really doing is trying to sow division."

Kingston argued that Kelly's remarks cast unwarranted doubt on the armed services.

"You're trying to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the president of the United States, and no better place to attack than the armed servicemen and women," he said.

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