Bush Institute criticizes Trump administration’s Afghan immigration freeze

The George W. Bush Institute has pushed back against the Trump administration’s decision to pause and review immigration applications from Afghanistan and 18 other countries, arguing that entire populations should not be penalized for the alleged crimes of one individual.

The policy review followed the November shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., allegedly carried out by an Afghan national who had previously worked with the CIA in Afghanistan and was granted asylum in the United States earlier this year.

In a statement posted on social media on Friday, the George W. Bush Presidential Center said the alleged actions of one man had “derailed the lawful U.S. immigration applications of people from 18 countries so far, including Afghanistan.” The Center added that Afghans are facing growing uncertainty both inside Afghanistan and in the United States, urging Americans to consider “why we can’t turn our back on Afghans and other immigrants due to one man’s crime.”

The Bush Institute argued that elected officials should focus on examining whether the attack could have been prevented, rather than imposing sweeping measures on Afghans who are lawfully living in or seeking entry to the U.S. It emphasized that many Afghans had “risked their lives over the last two decades” by working alongside the United States in pursuit of stability and prosperity, and said they “shouldn’t bear the burden of one man’s heinous crimes.”

The statement drew sharp responses from figures aligned with Trump. Mike Davis, a prominent Trump loyalist and legal adviser in the administration, criticized the Bush Institute’s intervention by citing past remarks from former President George W. Bush about avoiding public criticism of sitting presidents. Davis suggested the former president and his affiliated institutions should refrain from weighing in on current policy debates unless directly asked.

Davis, who previously worked in the Office of Political Affairs during the Bush administration and later assisted Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch in securing a position at the Department of Justice, framed his response as a defense of presidential discretion.

Trump’s White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Homeland Security Adviser Stephen Miller responded more bluntly. In a separate post, Miller accused the Bush Institute of advocating “unfettered migration from the most dangerous nations on planet earth,” and suggested the Institute was minimizing security risks posed by some migrants.

The exchange highlights deep divisions within the Republican Party over immigration policy, particularly concerning Afghanistan, as the Trump administration continues its review of asylum and immigration applications from countries deemed high risk.