Trump Announces Plans To Pause Migration From Third World Countries
President Donald Trump is pushing a sweeping new immigration plan after an Afghan national was accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, DC — an attack he’s labeled an “act of terror.” One guard member, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, later died from her injuries. The second, Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition.
In a pair of late-night posts on Truth Social, Trump announced that he will “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the US system to fully recover” from its current immigration policies. He also vowed to “terminate all of the millions of Biden illegal admissions” and to “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States, or is incapable of loving our Country.”
The president didn’t specify which nations fall under the “third world” label, but the term typically refers to poorer or developing countries. His message — which he framed as a Thanksgiving greeting — included more direct language targeting refugees, saying they were contributing to what he called social instability in the US.
The White House had already begun tightening immigration policies earlier in the week. After the DC shooting, the administration halted Afghan immigration processing and ordered a review of Afghans already in the country. Officials said the shooter, Rahmanullah (or Rahmanaullah) Lakanwal, had entered the US in 2021 under a special program for Afghans who assisted US forces during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He had applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted it this year, according to officials.
The crackdown goes beyond Afghan cases. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said he has ordered “a full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” A June presidential proclamation identified 19 such countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, Venezuela, and others. Green card applications from refugees who arrived under President Biden are also frozen as part of a wider review.
Trump’s posts also promised to “end all Federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens” and to “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.” He added that the only real solution is what he called “REVERSE MIGRATION.”
These moves build on earlier restrictions, including travel bans and a dramatic drop in refugee admissions planned for 2026 — the lowest since 1980. The administration says the measures are necessary to protect national security, while critics argue they mark a dramatic escalation of long-running hardline policies.
