UN urges US to continue letting asylum seekers into country, after Afghan national's alleged attack

United Nations agencies appealed Friday to the U.S. to continue to allow asylum seekers access to the country and to be given due process, hours after President Donald Trump vowed to freeze migration from "Third World" countries following an alleged "terror" attack by an Afghan national. 

Two National Guard members were ambushed Wednesday by the shooter. One of them died Thursday from a mortal wound. 

The alleged shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, entered the U.S. in 2021 under a program to resettle Afghans who helped the U.S. military. 

"They are entitled to protection under international law, and that should be given due process," said U.N. human rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence, according to Reuters.

Said U.N. refugee agency spokesperson Eujin Byun: "When people who need protection arrive in their territory, they have to have a due process of asylum. And then they have to have access to territory," she said, adding that the overwhelming majority of refugees are law-abiding members of the host community.

"So we really want to appeal at this point to the states who are hosting refugees and asylum seekers."