The immigrants' moment

Fatal attack by a newly naturalised Afghan citizen has led President Trump to pause immigration, order stricter checks

There is a situation for immigrants in the US, as authorities decide to come down hard on all those who are in the shadows, and stringently scrutinise others who have crossed the bridge of naturalisation. The sudden change of heart was warranted as an Afghan immigrant opened fire on two members of the National Guard on Wednesday, killing one and critically injuring the other.

The accused had attained US citizenship quite recently and had reportedly worked for sleuths during the Afghan war. President Trump, on the eve of Thanksgiving Day, declared that he was going to pause immigration from all the "Third World" countries and reconsider the credentials of those now part and parcel of the US system.

The unfortunate incident and the subsequent announcement have shaken the very foundations of a nation formed on migrants from across the world. Though it goes on to underscore the need for some deep introspection at the policymaking level, the authorities must desist from taking sweeping decisions ex parte. The beauty of the US is in its shades of colours and the value that people from Asia, Africa and Europe had brought to it in the form of cheap labour, talent and diversity, as they reincarnate their lives to become American citizens.

At the same time, black sheep who have ventured across the Atlantic with dubious motives and believe in a culture of segregation and hate must surely be put in the dock. This is where a critical balance is desired.

Pakistan, luckily, is not among the countries named for deeper surveillance, but those in the queue for immigration at home might surely be impacted with extraordinary delays. With Trump being extra-sensitive to immigrants, what is needed is a patient hearing at the State Department an evaluation of the cases on merit in a lawful manner. Meanwhile, the shooting in America — together with the Thursday's drone attack from Afghanistan that killed three Chinese citizens in Tajikistan — substantiates Pakistan's concerns on the gravity of the threat emanating from Afghan soil, giving credence to its call for enhanced global cooperation to confront the menace of transnational terrorism.