President Donald Trump’s recent order to pause all asylum applications and his declared intention to permanently halt immigration from certain countries have provoked widespread alarm and condemnation, particularly affecting regions like Long Island, which hosts one of the largest populations of asylum applicants nationwide. This sweeping policy shift follows the tragic shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.—one fatally—allegedly by an Afghan national who had previously been granted asylum in the U.S.

The impetus for the order was the shooting on a Wednesday, allegedly perpetrated by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national who had come to the United States in September 2021 under a program designed to assist Afghans who aided U.S. forces during the war against the Taliban. Joseph Edlow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, confirmed that his agency had “halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.” Additionally, all immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications from Afghanistan were put on hold. Trump also announced intentions to permanently pause migration from “Third World Countries” and to review previously approved asylum applications, green cards, and naturalization statuses, even suggesting these approvals could be revoked.

Immigration attorneys on Long Island and legal scholars have been swift to criticize the measures, calling them an attack on a fundamental American tradition of welcoming the persecuted. Patrick Young, an immigration law professor at Hofstra Law School, acknowledged the shooting was “horrible” but stressed the unfairness of broadly penalizing “hundreds of thousands of people in the New York area who have asylum who've not engaged in this type of abuse, have not engaged in murder or assassination.” He expressed deep concern about preventing them from pursuing their rights under U.S. and international law. Lauris Wren, head of the Asylum Clinic at Hofstra Law School, described Trump’s pause as “heart-wrenching” for her clients, many of whom were already contending with case delays of up to eight years. “The vast majority of asylum seekers are law-abiding people desperately trying to find safety,” Wren stated, adding that “It’s not right for the actions of one man to stop the entire asylum process.”

The impact on Long Island is expected to be particularly severe due to its high concentration of asylum seekers. Young and Wren indicated that the region is among the top 10 areas in the country for asylum applicants, with tens of thousands of individuals currently seeking protection. These applicants originate from a diverse range of nations, predominantly El Salvador and Honduras, but also including Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Angola, Bangladesh, Eritrea, and Mali. Many migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border without authorization also apply for asylum, according to Ala Amoachi, an immigration attorney based in East Islip, who asserted that Trump’s order “is preventing people from availing themselves of their due process right to have their claim heard.”

The U.S. asylum system itself has historical roots in a profound national introspection. Wren highlighted that the system was created after the failure during World War II to assist Jewish people fleeing the Nazis and the Holocaust. “We recognized based on our own failure that we should not be returning people to be persecuted or killed,” she explained. People typically apply for asylum because they are fleeing persecution in their homelands based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, often escaping gangs or other forms of violence in Central America, a contrast to Trump’s contention that many are merely fleeing poverty.

Trump’s broader immigration crackdown involves rhetoric that has escalated concerns, including pledges to “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country,” and to “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.” In a Truth Social post, he promised to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.” This language, combined with calls for “reverse migration,” echoes white nationalist rhetoric and introduces vaguely defined criteria like being “incompatible with Western civilization.”

Experts also questioned the justifications for the enhanced screening. While Trump officials cited a need for better vetting, Rahmanullah Lakanwal had undergone extensive screening upon his admission in 2021. Reports suggest his deadly actions may have stemmed from later struggles with mental illness rather than a failure of initial vetting. Moreover, the concept of a migrant being "not a net asset" refers to a controversial economic theory. Jessica Greenberg, director of legal services at the Central American Refugee Center, noted the contradictory nature of many administration pronouncements, leading to confusion about actual policy implementation. She criticized the disruption of the established system "without having a meaningful alternative that affords the same full and fair protections."

Historically, immigrant populations, including groups like Italian Americans, Irish Americans, and Eastern Europeans, were once stereotyped as “importers of crime and disorder.” However, data consistently shows that immigrants are generally less likely to commit violent crimes than native-born U.S. citizens. Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, stated that Trump’s “cruel actions reflect a strategy to put increasing numbers of people on a direct path toward deportation, no matter the cost to our families, communities, or economy.” The administration’s intent to “demolish the long-cherished ideal of America as a nation of immigrants” is seen by many as a more profound attack on America than the actions of any single individual or group Trump denounces as subversive.