National Guard Shooting in US Capital: Misguided Incitement of Anti-Foreign Doctrine
Two members of the National Guard were shot and injured in the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C., near the White House. A man of Afghan nationality was detained and charged in the incident. Resorting to violence for any motive is inexcusable, and we condemn it.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump, who has touted strengthened measures against immigration, has taken the opportunity to disparage the defendant and announced that the U.S. will suspend immigration from some developing countries. This is an irrational overreaction, and using the incident for political purposes should not be tolerated.
Trump initiated the National Guard's deployment to D.C. in August. His pretext was that there was a state of emergency due to deteriorating public order, but the action is believed to be part of a larger plan to make a show of political force aimed at the region, which has a large base of Democratic Party supporters. A federal judge ruled that the deployment was illegal, ordering the National Guard to suspend its duties by mid-December, but the Trump administration is poised to contest the ruling.
Trump called the defendant an “animal” and ordered all vetting of Afghan refugees to be suspended and for there to be a re-investigation of those who had already entered the country. Using the discriminatory phrase “third world countries,” he declared a permanent moratorium on immigration from various developing nations. It is expected that this order will target 19 countries, including Venezuela.
Even though the background context for the incident is as yet unknown, it is not a basis for hostility toward Afghanistan and other unrelated countries, and policies that close legitimate paths of entry into the U.S. It only instigates anti-American sentiment, as well as hatred of foreigners from U.S. citizens, deepening antagonism.
The defendant made a career of collaborating with the U.S. military during the war in Afghanistan; after the war ended, he went to the U.S. as part of a special program. There are fears that U.S. collaborators and their families are targets of retribution from the Taliban, the Islamic organization that has returned to power, and as a related party to the war, the U.S. has a moral obligation to provide assistance.
It is misguided for Trump to suggest that blame for the incident lies with former U.S. President Joe Biden, who established a system for the endangered Afghan nationals to enter the U.S., and to expose legitimate refugees to fears of deportation and discrimination.
Authorities suspect that the accused was targeting the National Guard, and had Trump not mobilized the guard for political purposes, the shooting might not have happened.
Not limited to the U.S., the upsurge in the “one's own country first” doctrine and xenophobia has also become a shared challenge in the international community. Trump, as well as those of us living in Japan, should behave based on reason, instead of foolishly leaning toward raising anti-foreign sentiment that targets all foreigners based on one incident.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump, who has touted strengthened measures against immigration, has taken the opportunity to disparage the defendant and announced that the U.S. will suspend immigration from some developing countries. This is an irrational overreaction, and using the incident for political purposes should not be tolerated.
Trump initiated the National Guard's deployment to D.C. in August. His pretext was that there was a state of emergency due to deteriorating public order, but the action is believed to be part of a larger plan to make a show of political force aimed at the region, which has a large base of Democratic Party supporters. A federal judge ruled that the deployment was illegal, ordering the National Guard to suspend its duties by mid-December, but the Trump administration is poised to contest the ruling.
Trump called the defendant an “animal” and ordered all vetting of Afghan refugees to be suspended and for there to be a re-investigation of those who had already entered the country. Using the discriminatory phrase “third world countries,” he declared a permanent moratorium on immigration from various developing nations. It is expected that this order will target 19 countries, including Venezuela.
Even though the background context for the incident is as yet unknown, it is not a basis for hostility toward Afghanistan and other unrelated countries, and policies that close legitimate paths of entry into the U.S. It only instigates anti-American sentiment, as well as hatred of foreigners from U.S. citizens, deepening antagonism.
The defendant made a career of collaborating with the U.S. military during the war in Afghanistan; after the war ended, he went to the U.S. as part of a special program. There are fears that U.S. collaborators and their families are targets of retribution from the Taliban, the Islamic organization that has returned to power, and as a related party to the war, the U.S. has a moral obligation to provide assistance.
It is misguided for Trump to suggest that blame for the incident lies with former U.S. President Joe Biden, who established a system for the endangered Afghan nationals to enter the U.S., and to expose legitimate refugees to fears of deportation and discrimination.
Authorities suspect that the accused was targeting the National Guard, and had Trump not mobilized the guard for political purposes, the shooting might not have happened.
Not limited to the U.S., the upsurge in the “one's own country first” doctrine and xenophobia has also become a shared challenge in the international community. Trump, as well as those of us living in Japan, should behave based on reason, instead of foolishly leaning toward raising anti-foreign sentiment that targets all foreigners based on one incident.
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