Donald Trump announced that he plans to “permanently pause migration” to the United States from all “third-world countries”.
In a post on Truth Social, the US president said the move would help the country “fully recover” from policies that he claimed had weakened the “gains and living conditions” of many Americans. He did not provide specifics on how the plan would work or which countries would be affected.
His comments came a day after an Afghan national was accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, DC, an incident that left one victim dead. Trump suggested the case highlighted a major national security threat and doubled down on a stricter immigration approach.
Following the shooting, he vowed to expel from the US any foreign national “from any country who does not belong here.” On the same day, the US suspended all immigration processing for Afghans pending a review of its “security and vetting protocols.”
On Thursday, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) also announced it would re-examine green cards issued to migrants from 19 countries. While the announcement did not explicitly mention the attack, USCIS referred to a June White House proclamation that included Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran, Somalia, and Venezuela. No additional details were provided on how the review would be conducted.
In a strongly worded two-part post, Trump went further, pledging to “end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens.” He blamed refugees for contributing to “social dysfunction in America” and vowed to deport anyone he believed was “not a net asset” to the country.
The post—which Trump introduced as a “Happy Thanksgiving salutation”—contained sharp anti-immigrant rhetoric. He claimed refugees from Somalia were “taking over” the state of Minnesota and criticized the state’s Democratic leaders. He reiterated: “I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.”
The term “third world” is an outdated phrase that historically referred to poorer or developing nations.
The White House and USCIS have not provided further clarification on Trump’s proposal, and Trump did not directly connect it to Wednesday’s attack in his post. Earlier this year, he had already imposed a travel ban on nationals from Afghanistan and 11 other countries, mostly in Africa and Asia. A similar ban on several majority-Muslim nations had also been enacted during his first term.
Jeremy McKinney, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, criticized Trump’s reaction, describing it as an attempt to “scapegoat” migrants. Speaking to BBC World Service before Trump’s latest comments, he noted that the attacker’s motive remained unknown. “When a person becomes radicalised or suffers from mental illness, that person can come from any background,” he said.
Suspect in DC Shooting Was Afghan
Officials said the suspected shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived in the US in 2021 under a special program for Afghans who assisted US forces during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. At that time, the Taliban had regained control, raising fears of retaliation against those who had worked with the US. Lakanwal had previously worked with the CIA, according to its current director.
Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and was approved earlier this year, an official told CBS News. After the attack, he was arrested and has reportedly not been cooperating with authorities.
Trump described the incident as an “act of terror.” He later announced that one of the victims, 20-year-old National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom from West Virginia, had died. She was deployed in Washington, DC as part of Trump’s effort to reduce crime and had volunteered to work over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The second victim, 24-year-old National Guard member Andrew Wolfe, remains in critical condition.