Donald Trump is likely to crack down on National Guard deployments following a shooting in Washington D.C., a political commentator believes.
Writing in The Guardian, David Smith suggested the shooting of two National Guard troops near the White House would leave the president responding with tougher measures. Those measures, which may act as a response to the shooting which left two National Guard members in critically injured, will have an uncertain impact, Smith says.
He wrote, “But Trump, who had already decided the national guard deployment would continue to at least the end of February, is now likely to crack down even harder. He announced the deployment of an additional 500 national guard troops – though it is unclear what that will achieve.”
Smith would also suggest the “risk of escalation” which comes from the shooting is clear. Everytown for Gun Safety president John Feinblatt said the shooting showed that “no neighborhood is beyond the reach of this crisis.”
He said, “The fact that this can happen to members of the military just steps from the White House serves as a painful reminder that in a country awash with guns, no neighborhood is beyond the reach of this crisis.”
It was confirmed earlier today that a suspect had been arrested for the shooting of the two National Guard troops. Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who has been taken into custody, was identified as an Afghan national who previously worked with the U.S. military.
Authorities have not released details on a possible motive for the attack. The two troops who were shot were at first reported as dead by West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrissey, but this was later walked back, with current sources saying as of press time they are alive but in critical condition.
The US has since suspended immigration requests for Afghans as a result of the shooting. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services said the decision was made pending a review of “security and vetting protocols”.
Trump issued a statement calling the shooting an “act of terror” and that his administration would now work towards removing foreigners “from any country who doesn’t belong here”.
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