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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Anna Betts

From ‘criminals’ to ‘garbage’, Trump is ramping up anti-immigrant language

a man speaking in front of a microphone
Donald Trump at the US Institute of Peace in Washington DC on 4 December 2025. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Donald Trump and senior members of his administration have dramatically escalated their hostile language towards immigrants in the US after an Afghan man was named a suspect in last week’s shooting of two national guard members in Washington DC.

In recent days, the US president has made sweeping statements, claiming that there were “a lot of problems with Afghans”, and went on a tirade against Somali immigrants, calling them “garbage” whose country of origin “stinks”.

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