US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration would maintain a pause on asylum decisions "for a long time."

"We don't want those people," Trump said. "You know why we don't want them? Because many have been no good, and they shouldn't be in our country."

The president said there was "no time limit" for the pause.

The decision followed the shooting near the White House on Wednesday, which resulted in the death of a 20-year-old National Guard member and left another critically wounded.

Afghan suspect in DC shooting likely radicalized in US, says Noem

The suspect is a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the US in September 2021.

He faces a first-degree murder charge in connection with the shooting.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday that investigators believe the suspect was radicalized after arriving in the US.

"I will say we believe he was radicalized since he's been here in this country," Noem said on NBC's "Meet the Press." 

Noem said authorities are seeking more information from his relatives and associates.

Suspect reportedly granted asylum under Trump

Authorities have also revealed details about the suspect's background. After the shooting, the administration said there was insufficient vetting of Afghans and other foreign nationals under former President Joe Biden.

However, the suspect was reportedly granted asylum in April 2025.

He was a former member of a CIA-backed Afghan "partner force" unit fighting the Taliban.

He had been living in Bellingham, Washington state, roughly 80 miles (about 120 kilometers) north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, according to former landlord Kristina Widman.

Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals and victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.

Edited by: Louis Oelofse